University bulletin adds to confusion about sports trials

Students seeking admission under the sports category are a confused lot. While last year, the university had conducted a centralised sports trial, this year it has asked colleges to conduct individual trials.

Students seeking admission under the sports category are a confused lot. While last year, the university had conducted a centralised sports trial, this year it has asked colleges to conduct individual trials.

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The university bulletin however is not very clear on the issue. It states, “Trials should be organised centrally in the University by the DU sports Council. (Final decision with regards to conduct of trials will be intimated by the university separately).” The university later clarified that individual trials will be conducted this year.

Reacting on why the university jumped the gun and printed that the trials should be centralised without a final confirmation, dean, Students' Welfare, JM Khurana said, “The bulletin clearly mentions that the final decision will be intimated separately. We did that in front of the media and also put the notification on the university website.”

But not many students know about the change and are getting more confused after reading the bulletin. “I haven’t read a newspaper in the past one month that carried this news. So I had presumed that this year too, we will have centralised trials,” said Rajat Khanna, a football player.

Last year, the sports trials conducted by the university were not appreciated by many college teachers. Some colleges had even refused to the university the names of applicants even after the deadline had expired.

The teachers were not only miffed with the centralised trials but also with the marking scheme, which gave 75% preference to to certificates and only 25% preference to trials. And though centralised trials have been done away with for the time being, the marking scheme remains and teachers still have a problem with it.

“According to the marking scheme, a student who has represented the nation at an international level, but not won a medal, will get lesser marks as compared to a student who has secured the first position in National Games. This is not fair,” said SK Chakravortty, assistant professor, physical education, St Stephen’s College.

“Moreover, it is much easier to forge certificates for smaller competition. But performance cannot be forged. Giving so much importance to certificates is counter-productive,” Chakravortty added.