DU likely to adopt combination of entrance test score and class 12 marks for admissions from this year | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

DU likely to adopt combination of entrance test score and class 12 marks for admissions from this year

By, New Delhi
Feb 24, 2021 11:46 PM IST

With the Central government likely to hold a common entrance test for admissions to undergraduate courses at all the central universities, starting this upcoming session, officials at Delhi University (DU) said they are ready to adopt it immediately in combination with the class 12 score of aspirants

With the Central government likely to hold a common entrance test for admissions to undergraduate courses at all the central universities, starting this upcoming session, officials at Delhi University (DU) said they are ready to adopt it immediately in combination with the class 12 score of aspirants.

HT Image
HT Image

The other two central universities in Delhi, the Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia, are yet to take a call regarding any change in their admission process.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Last December, the Union ministry of education constituted a seven-member committee to recommend modalities for the Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET) for admission to undergraduate courses across central universities in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The same month, higher education secretary Amit Khare also said a common entrance test for admission to all central universities will be implemented in 2021.

DU vice-chancellor (acting) PC Joshi, who is also a member of the committee, said, “The modalities of CUCET will soon be finalised and it’s highly likely that it will be implemented from the upcoming academic session itself. DU is also ready to adopt it from this year onwards. We have already sent our proposal to the UGC (University Grants Commission) stating that we want a combination of CUCET and class 12 scores of students for admission to undergraduate courses,” he said.

Joshi said the CUCET will be conducted online and will have two components -- an aptitude test and a subject-specific test. “DU won’t have a major issue in implementing CUCET. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which will conduct the test, has already been holding entrance exams for some of the undergraduate courses in DU over the past few years. Besides, we are planning to combine the CUCET score with the class 12 marks of students because we cannot make the Boards (CBSE, state board etc) redundant. We are yet to decide the weightage of these two components,” he said.

DU currently follows the merit-based admission process for admission to all undergraduate programmes excluding nine courses for which NTA conducts entrance exams every year.

“We are waiting for a nod from the education ministry before making a formal announcement,” Joshi said.

In Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), officials said CUCET won’t make much of a difference since the university offers only 10 undergraduate courses in foreign languages. JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said, “The NTA is already conducting entrance exams for admission to these courses. So, it won’t be a major issue for JNU to adopt it. However, we are yet to finalise anything in this regard.”

Jamia Millia Islamia registrar Nazim Hussain Jafri said the university is working on the modalities. “It’s going to be mandatory for all central universities and we will also adopt it. But we are yet to finalise our proposal. It will only be sent to the ministry after consulting our academic and executive councils. The education ministry is also conducting a conference this weekend to guide universities about CUCET,” he said.

Presently, Jamia conducts its own entrance tests and interviews for admission to all courses.

Meanwhile, some members of DU’s statutory bodies, the academic council (AC) and the executive council (EC), also said the varsity should have consulted them before taking any decision regarding admissions.

“As per the university norms, the administration cannot send any proposal to the UGC or the ministry without consulting the statutory bodies. That is completely illegal. If the university continues to give weightage to class 12 marks, that won’t serve the purpose. The long process of document verification will still be there,” said Naveen Gaur, DU academic council member.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Fareeha Iftikhar is a Special Correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On