Scores of students and teachers today protested the probable implementation of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) from the ensuing session even as the vice-chancellors of Central universities met here today to deliberate on it.
Indian Youth Congress (IYC), Nation Students Union of India (NSUI) and teachers' body Academics for Action and Development (AAD) organized a joint protest at Jantar Mantar.
They burnt effigies of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and shouted slogans such as "VCs on board, teachers ignored", "choice ka drama nahi chalega" and "CBCS ko jana hoga, warna roz dharna hoga".
Dubbing the VCs' meet as an attempt to make the entire decision making process centralized, Congress leader Ajay Maken said, "The Central government cannot force its will regarding selection of subjects and choice of courses on universities."
Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and Federation of Central Universities' Teachers' Associations (FEDCUTA) also staged a protest outside Vigyan Bhawan.
"The MHRD and the UGC cannot shy away from the fact that there is a growing criticism against CBCS due to its structure, content and intent.
"The debate is in the public domain and the ministry needs to take cognizance of the fact that there is a vast gap between the feedback given by the vice chancellors and the ground realities," DUTA President Nandita Narain said.
The VCs are believed to have agreed on the implementation of the scheme.
Calling it a "cafeteria approach", UGC had in September last year asked all the Central universities to implement CBCS from the upcoming session following a meeting of its Vice-Chancellors.
CBCS allows "seamless mobility" of students across higher education institutions and transfer of credits earned by them.
Academicians have strongly opposed the idea of a common structure and common syllabi as it runs counter to the diverse socio-cultural realities and learning needs of people spread across various regions.
While universities including Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University have announced that they would adopt the system in the 2015-16 session, their teachers' bodies are up in arms against the proposal, claiming the students are being treated as "guinea pigs".
