On Thursday i.e. on April 25, 2013 the DU Faculty of Commerce and Business Studies has given its nod for the introduction of the four year undergraduate BCom degree course by the University.
The syllabus for the four year degree programme comprise of the commerce component—business laws, financial accounting and auditing, business mathematics and statistics, human resource management and financial management— in the Discipline 1 - While new papers like corporate governance and social responsibility, industrial law and foreign exchange management have been introduced, papers like indirect tax have been removed.
The Discipline 2, which comprises six papers, includes setting up a business, marketing for beginners, financial reporting and analysis, personal tax planning, investing in stock market and insurance and risk management. However, the optional papers like financial market, institutions and financial services, compensation management, corporate tax planning and business data processing are dropped in the new structure.
As per sources, of the total 37 members present in the meeting six of them have voted against the new structure. However, the faculty claims to consult 300 teachers, a section of teachers has been demanding the dean to provide document as the course content was kept confidential till the beginning of the meeting. The teachers alleged that the document on the course structure and content was not circulated. It was provided to them at the venue, minutes before the commencement of the meeting.
However, the dean of the faculty, J P Sharma, claimed that teacher’s in-charge had been consulted at every step starting from the meeting on March 25 where 39 of the 57 teacher’s in-charge were present. Mr Sharma said that another meeting of the extended courses committee on April 9 was attended by 56 of the 63 members. He added that a series of meetings of the working groups were convened thereafter to finalize the syllabi.
Furthermore, sources has informed that a section of teachers has suspected dilution of the BCom (H) course, as complete papers on indirect tax (VAT and service tax) and international business have been eliminated.
Besides, they added that the missing optional papers challenge the DU claim of increasing inter-disciplinary components in the four-year programme.
