Row over semester system leaves students confused

Ankita Rangi, a first-year Physics (honours) student, starts from her home in Sonepat at 6.30 am to be able to make it to her first lecture that starts at 9 am. "I catch the 7 O'clock train and then have to change two buses to reach college." Joyeeta Ghosh reports.

Ankita Rangi, a first-year Physics (honours) student, starts from her home in Sonepat at 6.30 am to be able to make it to her first lecture that starts at 9 am. "I catch the 7 O'clock train and then have to change two buses to reach college."

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Rangi, a student of Hindu College had scored 94% in her Class 12 board exams, and always aspired to study in Delhi University. But the events of the past four months have made her cynical about the university. "It is quite a task reaching the college every day. If the classes are not held, one feels wasted," she said.

Others like Sharmila Sengupta (name changed), a first-year student of Chemistry in DU, gave up the option of studying in National Institute of Design, to be in DU. "I did not expect such a scenario. There are strikes every other day, teachers are struggling to finish the courses and even if the courses are finished, where is the time for us to prepare?"

The decision to implement semester system in 13 science courses was cleared by the academic council on May 13.

Even if some colleges have been successful in teaching in semester system, the English and Mathematics papers, which are compulsory for the science courses, remain an area of concern for all colleges since the teachers of these disciplines have refused to teach the courses, which have been restructured under the semester mode.