In a significant policy reversal, the University of Delhi (DU) has withdrawn a mandate requiring fourth-year undergraduate students to submit a 30-minute video presentation as part of their final-term evaluation. The decision, announced last week, brings relief to thousands of students enrolled under the new Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) framework of the National Education Policy (NEP).
Notification Details and Key Changes
According to an official notification dated December 19, 2025, the university has formally relaxed the provision. The notification stated that the requirement for students pursuing any of the three specialisation tracks in Semester VII has been withdrawn. It supersedes the earlier directive that made the video submission compulsory.
The university clarified that grades will not be withheld due to the absence of these video submissions. "Therefore, marks of the End Term Assessment shall be released/uploaded without the requirement of submission of the 30 Minutes Video by the concerned students," the notification read, confirming approval from the competent authority.
Background and Rationale for the Withdrawal
This withdrawal comes several months after DU formally rolled out the fourth year of undergraduate studies, a cornerstone of the NEP. In the final year, students choose one of three 12-credit tracks: dissertation writing, an academic project, or entrepreneurship, spread across semesters seven and eight.
The now-scrapped video mandate was initially introduced to assess student progress on their chosen research or project work. Guidelines required students to detail their project timelines, field visits, challenges, and work status in the video, which was to be evaluated alongside logbooks, plagiarism checks, and interim presentations.
Academic Council Criticism and Concerns
The university's move follows strong criticism raised during a recent Academic Council meeting held earlier this month. Council members highlighted multiple flaws in the video assessment model.
Latika Gupta, a member of the Academic Council, expressed relief at the decision. "It wasn't a reliable criteria to begin with," she said. Gupta argued that the mandate would have unfairly privileged students with access to expensive technology and private spaces for recording. She also warned that it could have led to a scenario where students proficient in video editing might score well without substantial research, potentially fueling a market for private companies offering video-making training.
Gupta further highlighted mental health concerns, noting experiences from online pandemic classes. "Several students developed serious anxiety about their looks and body consciousness because of the camera. Video dependence enhances that kind of vulnerability," she explained. She concluded that oratorical performance is unsuitable for research assessment, a skill perhaps more apt for sales and marketing courses.
Another council member, Maya John, called the notification a "partial concession," noting that the video requirement for the 8th semester remains unchanged. She criticised the provision for imposing "undue surveillance" on students and overburdening them, reflecting the administration's "sheer distrust of undergraduate research." John also pointed to practical infrastructure issues, questioning how colleges would manage the massive digital storage needed for soft-copy submissions from a large student body without additional funds or faculty support.
The policy change marks a responsive step by DU to address equity and practical concerns as it navigates the implementation challenges of the landmark National Education Policy.
