The College of Vocational Studies (CVS) in Sheikh Sarai has floated a proposal to restructure its academic programmes by removing some vocational courses and diverting those seats to traditional undergraduate programmes. The plan, which it has submitted to the Delhi University, has been criticised by members of the college staff who say the courses are immensely popular and also go against the skill-based objectives underlined by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.CVS principal said that except for the Tourism Management course, all other courses are proposed to be discontinued. (HT)The college currently offers seven vocational programmes in Office Management and Secretarial Practice, Tourism Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management and Retail Business, Management and Marketing of Insurance, Materials Management, and Small and Medium Enterprises.CVS principal Shiv Kumar Sahdev confirmed the proposal to HT and said, “Except for the Tourism Management course, which remains popular and relevant, all other courses are proposed to be discontinued.”A university official, requesting anonymity, also confirmed that the plan was received in February. “The college has proposed a redistribution of seats from vocational courses to BA programmes and BCom (Honours), while keeping the institution’s overall student strength unchanged.”According to Sahdev, the BCom (Honours) and BA courses are not only in higher demand, but also offer students a wider range of options for postgraduate studies. “The college was established in 1972, and these courses have been running for over five decades. Most of them have now become redundant. These courses has no separate department in university and students fail to develop any major subject as a result students often face difficulties in securing postgraduate admissions. They also face problem in securing employability.”The proposal first came up in January this year. HT has seen a copy of the notice dated January 6 for a staff meeting “to discuss the proposed restructuring”.However, following strong opposition from some faculty members, the matter was not taken up for discussion, several teachers told HT on the condition of anonymity. The plan was then sent without proper deliberation at the college-level staff meeting, they said.One teacher said, “The NEP emphasises skill-based education and employability enhancement programmes, and CVS has already been offering specialised management courses that equip students with industry-oriented training and prepare them for direct entry into the workforce. Discontinuing these programmes goes against the very policy framework that other colleges are striving to adopt.”“Moreover, these vocational courses continue to receive admissions beyond their sanctioned intake,” the teacher added, requesting anonymity.