'Detained DU students to be readmitted in 2012'

Confusion is the buzzword in Delhi University (DU) colleges, with the administration failing to give out a clear message on different colleges following different rules for students who fail to meet the minimum attendance. Mallica Joshi reports.

Confusion is the buzzword in Delhi University (DU) colleges, with the administration failing to give out a clear message on different colleges following different rules for students who fail to meet the minimum attendance.

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However, there seems to be a ray of hope for the 300-odd students who have been detained.

Delhi University Students' Union president Ajay Chhikara said JM Khurana, dean of students' welfare, has assured students that they would be readmitted next year.

This comes as a big relief for those students, who are being told by colleges that they will have to compete for a seat all over again next year.

"The dean has assured that all students who are not allowed to sit for exams this year will be readmitted. This is the most we can do as 40% attendance is the minimum a student should have," said Chhikara.

The dean refused to comment as the rattled university administration has issued a gag order for all officials, hence, increasing the confusion about different colleges following various admission norms.

Colleges like Ram Lal Anand (RLA), Satyawati and Ramjas have not detained students at all.

While principals of RLA and Satyawati colleges say they never got any notification that asked them to detain students in the first semester, Ramjas teachers feel that everything is in limbo and all students are appearing for exams as the college did not get enough time to tabulate the attendance and inform students in advance.

It's not only the college authorities, the obscurity has enraged students too. "No one at colleges like Hindu and Ramjas has been detained, even though many had attendance below 40%. This is discriminatory," said Kritika Verma (name changed), who studies at a prominent south Delhi college.

According to university experts, the only solution that students have is filing a petition in court. "The future of students is not in safe hands as the university does not care about them. There is no clarity on the road ahead and no one in the administration is bothered," said a senior official.