The chiefs of ICSE, CBSE say no one consulted them for four-year undergraduate programmeThe chiefs of ICSE, CBSE say no one consulted them for four-year undergraduate programme

May 22, 2013, 12:00 am


The chiefs of two leading school boards have claimed that they were not consulted by Delhi University on its plan to switch to four-year undergraduate programme.

Chief executive and secretary of Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, popularly known as ICSE, Gerry Arathoon said it will be "difficult" for students to cope with subjects that they had voluntarily quit after Class X.

Under the four-year system, all students will have to study 11 compulsory foundation papers that include courses in mathematics, science, commerce and languages.

Arathoon said that the school boards "should have been consulted on this decision".

He said it will be difficult for a student to study a subject after being out of touch with it for two years. I think they (DU) are trying to follow the west and their system of 13 years of education. All our students do not go abroad," Arathoon said.

He said it is likely that a student, who gave up a subject after Class X and is forced to study it in college, will merely "go through the course without doing well in it".

Under the new DU format, the 11 foundation papers will account for 67 per cent of the total weightage in the first year and 34 per cent in the second year.

Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Vineet Joshi said the Board was not consulted. "I am not aware of what these courses are. I would like to see the syllabus," he said.

DU Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh had earlier said the foundation courses will be of a level that students who might not have studied the subjects at Class XII-level will also be able to pursue them.