On Friday, the Delhi University teachers’ body opposed the recent changes to the B.Sc. (Hons) Physics curriculum, calling the decision hasty, disruptive, and made without proper consultation.
In a letter
to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) stated that a notification dated January 12 introduced significant curriculum changes mid-academic year, disrupting teaching across 25 colleges offering the programme.
Delhi University officials declined to comment.
The DTF noted that the notification immediately altered credit structures and lecture-to-practical ratios of core papers, reported PTI.
Mathematical Physics-2 changed from a two-lecture, two-practical format to three lectures and one practical. Thermal Physics shifted from three lectures and one practical to two lectures and two practicals.
These changes were set to take effect from January 2026.
Teachers described the decision as shocking, stating that departments had already finalised teaching schedules, timetables, and laboratory plans in December.
“With the semester already underway, these preparations are now useless, affecting several thousand students and teachers,” the statement added.
The teachers’ body called the decoupling of credit redistribution from syllabus revision a “serious academic flaw”.
They argued that credits indicate the depth and weight of course content, and altering contact hours without clarifying content, assessment patterns, or learning outcomes leaves teachers without direction and undermines academic quality.
Another concern was the selective application of changes to different admission batches, which the teachers said would create parallel academic tracks within the same programme.
This, they warned, would complicate examinations, question paper setting, and fair assessment.
The teachers also noted that the notification was communicated to colleges only on January 16, four days after it was issued, further contributing to the confusion.
Abha Dev Habib, associate professor in the physics department at Miranda House, said the notification disregards the adverse impact of lost teaching time and should be withdrawn.
“Teaching is being disrupted for a whole month for several students. For an even semester, preparations start from December onwards,” Habib stated.
“With little gap between odd and even semesters, teachers plan their teaching for the entire academic year,” she added.
The redistribution of teaching in mid-January will impact teachers’ preparedness, she stated.
