Delhi University (DU) has advised colleges to avoid scheduling consecutive classes of Value Addition Courses (VACs), citing concerns about their impact on students’ learning experience.
Some teachers have criticized this directive, arguing that it would cause “chaos” since timetables are already set.
VACs are designed to enhance students’ skills and employability beyond their regular curriculum.
The university’s notification states that consecutive VAC classes are detrimental to students’ learning and advises against scheduling two back-to-back theory or practical classes. It also recommends not allocating more than two hours for VACs.
Pankaj Garg, chairman of the Indian National Teachers’ Congress (INTEC), argued that adhering to the circular would disrupt finalized timetables and infrastructure-dependent VAC arrangements. He called for the immediate withdrawal of the notification.
Abha Deb Habib, secretary of the Left-backed Democratic Teachers’ Front, noted that cluster coordinators, not colleges, make scheduling decisions.
DU Academic Council member Mithuraaj Dhusiya called the changes “cosmetic,” emphasizing the need for more time for discipline-specific specializations and criticizing the continuous four-hour Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs). He suggested reverting SECs to discipline-specific content.
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