DU College of Vocational Studies faculty oppose plan to scrap six programmes

Faculty members at Delhi University's College of Vocational Studies (CVS) have raised concerns against a proposed overhaul that would discontinue six undergraduate programmes and replace them with more popular courses. The move, discussed in a June 26 meeting of the college's Department of Commerce, has sparked opposition from the faculty, who argue that the changes would undermine the vocational nature of the institution.

According to the minutes of the meeting, the university proposal seeks to discontinue five B.A. (Vocational Studies) programmes — Human Resource Management, Marketing Management and Retail Business, Materials Management, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Insurance Management — and replace them with new interdisciplinary B.A. combinations such as Commerce with Economics, Commerce with Computer Science, Hindi with Commerce, Economics with Mathematics, and History with Political Science.

The department unanimously resolved to oppose the move and decided to submit representations to the DU Vice-Chancellor, the Dean of Academics, and the Dean of Admissions, requesting that the existing B.A. (Vocational Studies) programmes be continued.

The proposed changes follow an earlier decision by the College Staff Council and Governing Body. In a February 7 meeting, the college resolved to discontinue the B.A. (Vocational Studies) in Modern Office Management, which had 111 sanctioned seats. Those seats were to be redistributed by introducing one additional section of B.Com. (Honours) with 60 seats and increasing seats in B.A. (Honours) English, History, and Economics.

The row originates from a university-wide exercise launched earlier this year. Since undergraduate admissions were centralised through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) in 2022, DU has faced persistent seat vacancies. A committee was constituted to examine whether low-demand B.A. programme combinations, particularly in off-campus colleges, could be realigned to improve seat utilisation.

The committee recommended that colleges reassess discipline combinations where student preferences remained low and merge less popular subjects with more sought-after ones. At DU, commerce remains the most opted-for stream, with B.Com and B.Com (Hons.) consistently emerging as the most preferred undergraduate programmes, drawing lakhs of preference entries during the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). B.A. (Hons.) English, History, Political Science, Economics, and Psychology are also among the most sought-after arts programmes.

Faculty members at CVS argue that the existing vocational programmes align with the spirit and objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP), as they are interdisciplinary, skill-oriented, and enhance employability. They warned that the proposed restructuring could reduce the department's teaching workload, resulting in the loss of approximately 8-10 faculty positions.

In a representation submitted to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh on June 29, faculty members alleged that the exercise has expanded beyond what the college's statutory bodies or the university had approved. They contend that proposals to discontinue six vocational programmes and introduce entirely new B.A. programmes are “completely illegal” as they have not received the required approvals from the university's statutory authorities.