DU discontinues special request scheme

The Delhi University has discontinued 'special chance' - the provision to provide additional time beyond the stipulated duration to complete under-graduate courses. HT reports

The Delhi University has discontinued 'special chance' - the provision to provide additional time beyond the stipulated duration to complete under-graduate courses.

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"We will not allow students to finish their course if they are unable to complete it within the stipulated time. When we entertain requests of completing the course as part of the special chance, it puts undue pressure on the exam branch. So from now on, applications for grant of a special chance will no longer be considered," said a senior DU official, requesting anonymity.

While this revocation has now made it impossible for students to return to their studies later if they leave their course halfway through, it has especially hit the students of School of Open Learning (SOL) hard.

"This is a ridiculous decision to begin with. Why did DU suddenly realise that they can't handle the pressure? First, they don't declare our results on time because of which we miss out on an opportunity to apply for Master's programmes and now they want to revoke the 'special chance' system. If an emergency comes up then it will be impossible now for us to complete our studies later," said Rahul Misra, a student of SOL.

Students also claimed that their attempts at requesting the administration to revoke the order were rebuffed. They have also filed an RTI, which questions the sudden revocation of a provision that had been there for close to 60 years.