A handicap to filling DU seats
A seat in a good Delhi University college in a course of their choice is something everyone dreams of. There are many for whom it remains just that—a mere dream.
A seat in a good Delhi University college in a course of their choice is something everyone dreams of. There are many for whom it remains just that—a mere dream.
And yet there are seats that go vacant in those colleges and that course every year. The reason: lack of applicants in the physically handicapped category.
The Delhi University reserves 3% seats over and above the 54,000 seats that are available at the undergraduate level.
This means that students who are differently abled are offered 1,600 seats every year, based on their merit and choice.
But this year till Wednesday, only 105 differently abled students have registered with the Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC), that looks after the admission for the handicapped.
And of these 105, 48 got registered on Wednesday.
Attributing the lukewarm response to the lack of awareness, Nisha Singh, a member of the EOC, said, “Students and their parents don’t have information that such a reservation exists. Most don’t know where to go once their child has completed class 12.”
Last year, only about 500 students had registered with the EOC for admission in the university. But Singh hopes that the situation will improve this year.
“The numbers are low because many students are yet to get their original mark sheets from schools. Also since the admission process started a little earlier this year, many are not aware that registrations are on. We expect to see a spike in numbers in the coming few days,” Singh said.
The registration began on May 28 and will go on till June 8 at the office of the Dean, Students’ Welfare, from 9.30am to 2pm.
Candidates with a minimum disability of 40% are eligible for a seat as per the university rules. This reservation is also applicable to institutions where admission is through entrance examinations.
These students are required to submit a disability certificate issued by a medical board of district or government hospital. The certificate should be in the name of the candidate and should also have his/her photograph.
Applicants will also have to appear before a medical board of the university after application. Dyslexia has also been recognised as a disability by the university recently and a separate medical examination is held for that.
“So far, most differently-abled students who have come to us are suffering from locomotor disorders. Also some organisations working with the handicapped are bringing students to us. Most of these students had no idea that such an opportunity even exists. Several may miss out on the chance of getting good education if it was not for this nudge,” said Singh.
University authorities are also in the process of collaborating with the state ministry of health for a medical camp where aspirants will be able to get disability certificates made by a notified medical board. While talks for this process are on, the camp is expected to be held in Hindu Rao Hospital on June 6.
Course Profile B.Sc.(Hons) Statistics
For students who have a penchant for numbers and are analytically sound, a course in statistics will stand them in good stead, especially if they wish to pursue operational research, actuarial sciences, insurance or higher research in statistics.
The course begins with a largely mathematical base to build upon a student’s basic concepts with papers like Calculus and Algebra.
In the first two semesters, it introduces the basics of probability and statistical methods, followed by applied statistics and survey sampling in the subsequent semesters. Later on, it progresses to subjects like operational research and stochastic processes, linear models, bio-statistics and econometrics, all of which provide an all-round insight into the subject. Also, there are practical applications in all the semesters, in addition to the concurrent course in English in the first semester.
Studentspeak
“We do a very elementary level of statistics in school, which is why college-level statistics is assumed to be very tough,” said Nalini Bansal, a Statistics (honours) student at Ramjas College.
“While the course begins on a very mathematical note, it isn’t unmanageable at all. On the contrary, it hones your analytical skills because it teaches you to think scientifically,” Bansal added.
Teachers’ space
“Statistics being an applied subject, its scope in term of jobs is quite good. Firms hire a number of students for statistical analysis and actuarial work,” said Sudhir Kapoor, who teaches statistics at Hindu College.
“Doing an M.Sc in the subject is also a very good option. Indian Institute of Statictical Sciences is among the best in the country for further studies,” he added.
To study statistics, a student should be interested in mathematics. “All students can do well in statistics if they are good at mathematics,” Kapoor said. (Shaswati Das and Mallica Joshi)