New Delhi: Registrations for undergraduate courses at Delhi University will start on 2 August and registrations for masters and doctorate programmes will be allowed from 26 July, according to the tentative schedule released by the university administration.
Delhi University Registrar Vikas Gupta hinted that if the central government does go ahead with the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET), a proposed all-India test for various undergraduate courses, then the dates may change.
“As of now, these are the tentative dates for registration. We are awaiting further instructions,” he told ThePrint. “In case the government plans to conduct CUCET, we shall abide by the directives.”
Sources in the university, however, said there is a possibility that the CUCET may be given a miss this year.
They added that the dates announced are for merit-based online admissions.
The CUCET has been much discussed but the Ministry of Education is yet to announce its final decision on the exam.
The common entrance test is part of the National Education Policy implemented last year and has been in discussion since the CBSE cancelled Class 12 board exams in view of the Covid situation.
CBSE has instead announced a 30:30:40 pattern of evaluation — 30 per cent from Class 10 boards, 30 per cent from Class 11 exam, and 40 per cent from Class 12 assessment.
The results will be declared on 31 July.
Also read: No change in JEE Mains phase 4 dates, testing body says as revised schedule creates confusion
Discussions on CUCET
DU professors had earlier called the entrance examination ‘impractical’, on the grounds that it will add to students’ burden amidst the pandemic.
In a video conference organised by Academics for Action and Development on 25 June, a number of professors from universities across Delhi expressed their concerns regarding the examinations.
The general consensus was that the sudden implementation without any clarity, syllabus, and pattern will add to the problems of students.
Another issue raised was the ambiguity with directions for students who want to change their field of study after Class 12. There are no restrictions in DU while choosing subjects for graduation.
The professors said that with CUCET, those aspiring to pursue subjects that they did not learn in classes 11 and 12, will face problems in the entrance exam that will be a subject-specific test. It would simply restrict students from joining these courses.
A member of the Delhi University administration on the condition of anonymity, however, batted for the test.
“Everyone has a right to their opinion but as important stakeholders in the decision-making process, we are concerned regarding the admission process,” the member said. “Due to the pandemic, states do not have a consistent pattern of results and the new system for CBSE students is unprecedented. We are still trying to make sense of the marking system and how it will impact the admission process. This is why the introduction of the CUCET may have come as a boon as a common assessment platform.”
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
Also read: NEP top priority, need to treat skill and education as same subject, minister Pradhan says