DU to honour Lankan PM with doctorate; council approves uniform PhD coursework

The 1,278th meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the University of Delhi was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Prof Yogesh Singh.

One of the key decisions of the meeting was to confer a doctorate degree on Sri Lankan Prime Minister and DU alumnus Harini Amarasuriya. A proposal to this effect was already approved by on Thursday.

“Harini Amarasuriya is likely visiting India on October 17-18 to participate in the NDTV World Summit 2025,” Prof Singh said, adding that she would be conferred the degree during a special convocation. He further highlighted, “Harini Amarasuriya had graduated in Sociology from Hindu College in 1991-1994 through a scholarship sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs.”

During the zero hour of the meeting, the V-C suggested measures to address vacant seats in undergraduate programmes. “An open mop-up should be considered so that students can secure admission on the spot,” he said. The EC members have authorised him to frame a policy in this regard.

On the fourth year of undergraduate programmes introduced under the NEP 2020, Prof Singh proposed that research discussion rooms and separate spaces for teachers be established in every college.

The EC also deliberated on admissions under the ECA (extracurricular activities) and sports quota. Prof Singh said, “There is provision of a combined five per cent quota for this across colleges. And the colleges can decide on which category should get 3 per cent reservation and which 2 per cent.”

Another major decision of the meeting was the approval of uniform guidelines for PhD courses across departments. From the academic year 2025-26, PhD coursework will require 12–16 credits, including four credits in research methodology or advanced research methodology, two in research publication ethics, two in research tools and four in the discipline-specific elective. The courses must be of a higher level than postgraduate studies.