Failed second-year DU students to be promoted

This decision was taken due to a change in the university curriculum. DU had implemented the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) last year.

Delhi University has decided to promote second-year students who failed in their exams to the third year. But there is a rider -- they will have to clear the back papers to get a degree by the end of third year.

This decision was taken due to a change in the university curriculum. DU had implemented the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) last year.

The move comes in the backdrop of protests last week over the failure of over 50% law faculty students in the semester exams.

A senior official from the examination department said the decision will be officially notified by the university by either Monday or Tuesday.

“These students will be treated as regular third-year students. But they will have to clear all the backlog papers along with their third-year papers,” said an official, on condition of anonymity.

This decision was taken due to a change in the university curriculum. DU had implemented the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) last year.

Students who have moved to the second year this year are part of this CBCS system, where the subject is divided into credit hours and marks are given in grades.

But those who failed are part of the old regular three-year programme and they face the dilemma of being part of the CBCS system.

“If we are not promoted then we will have to become a part of the CBCS, which means we have to start from the first year to get our degrees,” said a second-year student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College.

The CBCS was introduced by the human resource development ministry (MHRD) to allow students to study interdisciplinary subjects, enabling them to move from one institution to the other by earning and transferring credits.

In 2013 as well, the first and second-year students, who had failed the examination, were promoted when the four-year undergraduate system (FYUP) was implemented. The FYUP was later scrapped by the MHRD and the university moved back to the three-year programme for a year.

Similarly in 2015, the second-year students were allowed to move to the third year even after the failure as they were FYUP students.

“When the university system keeps on changing like this, such things are bound to happen. This will put a lot of pressure on students as they will have to prepare for both the second and third year papers,” said a senior teacher of Hansraj College.