Gone are the days when teachers and students used to be on the opposite sides of the table. At Delhi University they seem to have joined hands against the vice chancellor. The topic of disagreement is the semester system being introduced in undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

In this system a year will be divided into two to three semesters each of four to six months. It will make sure that there is continuous evaluation in the academic calendar, and will ensure quality education. It will also get students acquainted with the global education system, because almost all international universities function on the semester system.

So, now you know why students are opposing it. They will lose the luxury of bunking classes and last-minute studies to pass their annual exams. They will also be assessed in short durations and will have to pay attention in class. Since this cannot be announced in broad daylight they are riding on the back of extracurricular activities which they claim will get sidelined once this system comes in place.

This reminds me of my school days when weekend worksheets were given for homework. We perpetually cribbed about it eating into our play time – only to realise its importance on the day of the exam.

Teachers, however, seem to be worried about correcting these worksheets, just the thought of even setting them up seem to bring them sleepless nights. They are protesting against it and have taken a step further by filing a writ petition against the system. They are demanding the withdrawal of semesters in the existing 13 science courses. The Delhi University Teacher Association is making a hue and cry about how the semester system is not good and should not be executed.

Their point – that the infrastructure not in place for the new system – is taken, but the student-teacher ratio will be corrected in right spirit only once the system is functional.

Remember how the stadiums and roads were improved once the Commonwealth Games were round the corner? We always need an existing, life-threatening situation for us to change things. And history has many such successful examples to prove it. 

The IITs, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mumbai University, Pune University and many more institutions already have sound functioning of semester systems. DU should also join the bandwagon and teachers should be catalysts in bringing about this change rather than being an obstruction.