Human resource development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani will preside over an emergency meeting of a University Grants Commission (UGC)-appointed committee on Monday afternoon to find a solution to the crisis related to the controversial four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP).
The meeting is likely to be attended by the vice-chancellor of Delhi University, key representatives of the UGC, the presidents of the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) and representatives of college associations.
"We have a standing committee meeting at 4pm today (Monday) at the UGC where we will discuss strategies for the migration to the three-year programme," Nandita Narain, DUTA pesident, told IANS.
The meeting was called even as students continued their protests against the FYUP, taking their agitation to the gates of the ministry.
Ahead of the meeting, UGC chairman Ved Prakash met Irani on Monday who is understood to have intervened to end the stand-off.
Irani is also understood to have expressed her displeasure over the delay in solving the matter with the DU authorities as the admission process to the undergraduate programme kicks off from Tuesday.
On Sunday, the UGC had issued a fresh directive to the Delhi University to revert to the three-year course and asked for a compliance report by forenoon on Monday.
The UGC, which controls the university's purse strings, told the latter that any deviation from the directive shall be "deemed to be in contravention of the UGC Act, with its consequences".
The second directive by the UGC to scrap the FYUP was previously followed by one sent on Friday.
The UGC has sent letters to the principals of the university's 70-odd colleges, asking them to strictly follow the three-year undergraduate course.
The commission also issued public notices in newspapers informing that "FYUP is not in consonance with the National Policy on Education, 1986 and the 10+2+3 structure envisaged under it".
The notice said DU did not follow procedures prescribed in the DU Act while switching to FYUP and asked students to take admission only in three-year courses.
After meeting the HRD minister, the UGC chairman also met higher education secretary Ashok Thakur to discuss the development.
The meeting came even as various student bodies demonstrated in front of the ministry here demanding roll back of the programme.
Members of All India Students' Association (AISA) and the Delhi Police clashed on Monday after the former staged a protest in front of the HRD ministry over the controversy.
The protests, which went on more than an hour-and-a-half, began at 9:30am with a group of students raising slogans against Delhi University and demanding that FYUP be immediately rolled back.
"Delhi University vice-chancellor is ignoring the opinion of students and teachers. Despite the UGC's directive, DU is not ready to scrap FYUP. We will not sit silent till our demand is met," said AISA president Sucheta De.
Many first-year students belonging to various DU colleges also participated in the protest.
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