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Statements

The University System under the Fourth Dimension

The EC Resolution, No - 05 of the University of Delhi (based on the Part 1 of the Tandon Committee Report) stands well especially because of its repeated emphasis exclusively on the implementation of its total five Items. This positiveness can be viewed as the craving of almost all the crucial modules of the University system (specially the AC, the EC and the group that constitutes the Tandon Committee) to ascertain some constructive changes in the existing academic system. The University system, through its elected and selected members, has succeeded in projecting that it itself wants to meet the target of 180 teaching days in an academic year. It's almost all the decisive modules have collectively resolved to reintroduce six day teaching schedule in a week. The excessive sense of self responsibility and accountability has suddenly started emanating out all around and the hon'ble Vice-Chancellor, who represents the University system, is zooming into the lenses of media and thereby spiking the brain of people through their innocent senses. His propositional representation of the desire of the teachers - majority of them wants to teach - is also really commendable. Detecting this hidden desire of the teachers of the system is a major breakthrough. It is an indicator of the profuse sense of responsibility and accountability among the teaching community of the system.
This Draft (Part 1), under circulation, sincerely hopes that its content can be of some help in the accomplishment of the desire of the teachers to teach maximum (qualitatively and quantitatively) in a uniform, consistent, disciplined and periodic manner. The draft contains a brief exposition on the Item III and V of the Resolution of the Executive Council. The Resolution is going to be placed before the final authority of the University system, the Court. The present draft shows some contradiction inherent in the Item III and V of the Resolution and furnishes sufficient clues for its possible remedy. It is drafted with the sincere intension that the University system can successfully avoid the possibility of reverting to the matter time and again by bringing some desirable modification in the Resolution.
The topics under discussion are:

1. The norms of 180 teaching days in an academic year.
2. The University reverting to six day teaching in a week and
3. Freedom of institutions to prepare and notify schedules of teachers.

The University system comes forth fully determined to meet the norm of 180 teaching days in an academic year. It, thus, resolves to revert to six day teaching schedule in a week. Talking about the 180 teaching days schedule is neither talking about the teaching schedule of the other levels of the University system and primarily that of the teaching community nor is it talking about the six day periodic nature of teaching by each of the terms implied in the generalized concept of the teaching module. It is important to mention that the schedule of the University system provides only a broad framework under which the schedules of students, non-teaching (tech. and non-tech.) staff, colleges/depts./halls/faculties and teaching staff are prepared. The following points will make the argument more explicit.

Brushing the Phrases: the Meaning:

Let us examine the following statements.

1. The University adheres to 180 teaching day's schedule.
2. Adherence to and implementation of the norms of 180 teaching days in an academic year as per the Ordinances.
3. The University follows a six day teaching schedule per week.
4. The University reverts to six day teaching schedule per week.

What do the phrases - "180 teaching days" and "six day teaching schedule" - mean in the above statements? In all the above statements the phrases never directly refer to the University system or to its modules like colleges/depts./halls/faculties, non-teaching staff or students/research scholars. To the University system and to each of its modules, the phrases mean differently and the meanings largely depend on the nature of their dynamics.

The Phrases	"180 teaching days"	and	"six day teaching schedule" mean
to the University system	"180 opening days"	and	"six day opening schedule",
to the colleges/depts.	"180 opening days"	and	"Six day opening schedule",
to the non-teaching staff	"180 facilitation days"	and	"six day facilitation schedule",
to the students/research scholars	"180 formal learning days"	and	"six day formal learning schedule" and
to the teaching staff	"180 teaching days"	and	"six day teaching schedule".

The meanings of the phrases elucidate that they refer directly to the teaching module of the system. This is that salaried organic module for which the nation exhausts so many resources. Conceptually speaking the phrases refer to this organic category with a level of generality.

Modules of the System: Presupposition and Entailment:

The 180 teaching day's requirement of the University system can easily be carried out through any regular or irregular, consistent or inconsistent, 0 to 7 day each week schedule. The weekly teaching schedule of the University system neither necessarily presupposes or entails the 0 to 7 day teaching schedule of each teacher of the various institutions (e.g., college, dept., hall, institute, faculty, school etc.) nor does it necessarily conform to the periodic nature implied in the Reform. Likewise, the new six day teaching of the University system carries the same level of opacity and generality. The following statements will further illustrate the fact.

1. The University system reverts to six day opening in a week.
2.
A. Each teacher of the University system reverts to six day teaching in a week.
B. Each teacher of the University system does not revert to six day teaching in a week.
3.
A. Each college/dept. of the University system reverts to six day opening in a week.
B. Each college/dept. of the University system does not revert to six day opening in a week.
4.
A. Each non-teaching staff of the University system reverts to six day facilitation in a week.
B. Each non-teaching staff of the University system does not revert to six day facilitation in a week.
5.
A. Each student/research scholar of the University system reverts to six day formal learning in a week.
B. Each student/research scholar of the University system does not revert to six day formal learning in a week.

The positive statement 1 can have its own truth-value. It does not matter which one and how many of the four positive and four negative statements under 2, 3, 4 and 5 precede or follow (barring the possibility of both the positive and the negative of the same level). It is because the statement 1 neither presupposes nor entails any of the four sets of statements. The statement is neither based on any of the four sets of assumptions nor is it the logical consequence of any of them. So the truth-value of the statement remains largely independent and unaffected. The statement also does not imply any conditionality, which does or does not necessarily involve the other levels of the University system. The statement can be conveyed, announced, proclaimed, broadcasted or exaggerated keeping in view none, any, some or all the four presuppositions and can yield the same as its logical consequence in the FUTURE. The statements under 2, 3, 4 and 5 refer to the other levels of the system and are not necessarily under the scope of the statement 1 because features stop percolating across modules largely because of the existence of the concept 'schedule'. The statement is a nicely wrapped up package which has its own truth-value even without any observation of what is inside, whether there is something worth inside or whether there is something at all inside. Due to the presence of a 'barrier' the statement is true only at a level, and that is at the level of the University system. It neither necessarily presupposes nor necessarily entails all the four positive statements under 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The Reform and the Power of One Situation:

The teachers of every college/dept. of the University system are granted full freedom to prepare their schedule without putting before them any constraint or the right spirit of the broad framework (cf., Item III. 2. & 6. of the Resolution). The provision has pushed the well expressed desire of the teachers of the system to teach under chaotic zone where it will again, like in the past, experience uncertainty and will be severely subjected to any kind of subjectivity. A little cut in of the schedule of teachers by only a few, who do not carry the same desire, can revert the academic reform again to five days a week. Teachers’ schedule can easily be used as a barrier for feature percolation and as a tool to fall upon the periodic nature of the newly proposed six teaching days. This is how one of the major goals of the Academic Reform and Accountability can be brought back to the power of one situation - five days a week or even less. This invisible process was on in some of the colleges/depts. of the system till the last academic session. Some of the methods to achieve the power of one situation are as follows.

a. By the inclusion of the concept of "OFF DAY" in the schedule.
b. By the inclusion of the concept of "ROTATION" in the schedule.
c. By adopting the mechanism of "SHARING" in the schedule.
d. By adopting the mechanism of "SPREAD" in the schedule.

All these and many other concepts stretch the schedule of teachers miraculously and make the actual workload shrunk temporally unexpectedly. By bringing a little conceptual change in the concept 'WEEKEND' - "necessarily two consecutive days" to "not necessarily two consecutive days" - the old schedule can be achieved while the University will keep maintaining the new six day schedule at its own level. All these methods are known for leaving negative impact on the frequency of teachers' visit to teach. They turn the periodic visit of teachers quasi-periodic or aperiodic and thereby leave adverse impact on the periodic formal learning of students and research scholars.

The Conceptual Generality and the Barrier:

The University system is a singular term with much generality, since it incorporates many other modules including the teaching module. A singular term which best substitutes it with much specificity, says Mr. Gottlob Frege, is "Ms./Mrs./Mr. x, where x is a teacher" (e.g., Ms. Mona Lisa, where Ms. Mona Lisa is a teacher). The statement,"The University system reverts to six day teaching schedule" can best be understood as "Ms./Mrs./Mr. x reverts to six day teaching schedule".
In due course of time the concept 'schedule' has converted into 'barrier' to any presupposition or entailment relation or for the definition of scope or field of any statement (one of the alarming situations for any large institution or for any concept with sizeable generality). It is because within the concept of schedule is hidden the right to tamper the Resolution designed fourth dimension, which is otherwise meant to follow only. The result is that a schedule generally acquires the potential of becoming barrier to feature percolation and governance. It also becomes a barrier for the periodic spirit implied in the Reform.
Smooth percolation of features is a prerequisite for the effective and uniform implementation of any resolution in any large institution having different and diverse modules. Selection of such statement which either necessarily presupposes or necessarily entails that the reform is uniform for the other levels too, is a crucial step in this direction. If Mr. Frege is followed and instead of the above statement 1, 2A is taken, the statement up to large extent presupposes and entails all the rest four positive statements. If the Reform is not applicable to all the modules of the University system but to some specific module or modules, the following principle can be adopted for proper feature percolation, for the removal of the barrier and for adopting the right spirit of the Reform.

The Feature Percolation Principle:
The following features shall percolate to the schedules of all the other levels.

A. The Terminal Feature
"Each teacher shall revert to six day teaching."

B. The Periodic Feature
"The frequency of teaching period (lecturing and/or tutorial and/or laboratory work) shall not exceed the total 3 periods a day and including consultation hour shall not exceed the total 4 periods a day."

The principle is there to neutralize the barrier that a schedule of some level may create. The Terminal Feature ensures the implementation of the resolution at the terminal level and the Periodic features ensures the right spirit of the Reform. If the means, constraints, goals and spirit of a reform are clearly and lucidly mentioned, it becomes easy for councils, committees or boards etc. to help the target group in time.

The Draft (part 1)

 

 

© 2007 Syed Ghalib Hussain	| Contact |	Last Updated: 10-09-2009