No more cut-offs as DU okays entrance exam

The proposal was ratified by the EC after being passed by the academic council (AC) last week. While 16 members of the AC, out of over a 100, dissented against the proposal, two EC members, out of 22, marked their dissent against the move on Friday.

The Delhi University’s executive council (EC), the highest decision-making body of the varsity, on Friday approved a proposal for the introduction of a common entrance test (CET) for conducting admissions to undergraduate courses from the next academic session onwards.

Currently, colleges are required to give admissions to all applicants who meet the cutoffs, leading to over-admissions in many institutes.  (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The proposal was ratified by the EC after being passed by the academic council (AC) last week. While 16 members of the AC, out of over a 100, dissented against the proposal, two EC members, out of 22, marked their dissent against the move on Friday.

Until this year, admissions to undergraduate courses of Delhi University were done on the basis of cutoff marks as announced by the varsity. Since there is no first-come, first-served policy in Delhi University, colleges are required to give admissions to all applicants who meet the announced cutoff criteria, leading to over-admissions. Over the years, soaring cutoffs, many of them remaining at 100% in the first list, had become a feature of the DU admission cycle.

In their dissent note on Friday, EC members Seema Das and Ashok Aggarwal agreed with the concerns flagged by the dissenting members of the academic council. They questioned the data analysis on the basis of which the recommendation was made and the modality of the entrance exam. They noted that students will have to deal with increased pressure if an additional entrance exam was put in place, besides the fact that students who switch streams and courses after class 12, on the basis of cutoff scores, might be put at a disadvantage with the implementation of a common entrance test.

Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava welcomed the introduction of CET next year. “We welcome the decision and support the administration in the implementation of the proposal. Among the various options for admission that one can brainstorm on, there is a possibility that the entrance might give us some relief from high cutoffs and over-admissions,” said Srivastava.

Besides giving a go-ahead to the CET, the EC also approved paid maternity leave for ad hoc teachers and contractual staff, which has been a long-standing demand among the varsity staff.

The EC also approved the recommendations of a five-member committee, constituted earlier this year to make suggestions on this issue. “The committee notes that ad hoc/contractual women teaching and non-teaching employees are engaged for a fixed term, and paid maternity leave may be granted to such women employees of the University/Colleges for a maximum period of 26 weeks within the specified time of such fixed term engagement,” the committee report said.

AC member Seema Das said that the decision on maternity leave was historic and a testimony of the victory of the teachers’ movement.

Shabana Azmi, president, Ad hoc Teachers Front (ATF), welcomed the introduction of maternity leave for ad hoc teachers and said the decision should have come earlier. “Maternity benefits are the basic right of a mother and an employee who has been contributing to the economic process. This move towards paid maternity leave is commendable indeed but lately achieved. It’s sad that it had to be demanded. Many women ad hoc colleagues have been sacrificing a lot for past many years due to unavailability of these benefits,” ATF said in a statement.

The council deferred a proposal for the creation of the Institute of Nano Medicine (INM) under the Centre of Excellence.

EC members shared that a committee has been constituted to look into concerns that had been raised earlier by AC members.

Last week, at least 15 AC members had recorded their dissent on a proposal for the creation of INM.