New Delhi: Delhi University could change the admission process for undergraduate admissions to its constituent colleges from the next academic year, ThePrint has learnt.
The university had last month constituted a panel to study admission data amid reports of a possible regional imbalance and overadmissions, and see if there are any discrepancies in the admission process and if they need to be corrected. On the basis of the panel’s report, the university could change the admission process, sources privy to the matter said.
The committee is headed by Dean (Examinations) D.S. Rawat, and its members include Dean (Students’ Welfare) Rajeev Gupta, Poonam Varma, the Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Savita Roy, the Principal of Daulat Ram College, and DU Registrar Vikas Gupta.
According to a member of the panel, who did not wish to be named, there are three possibilities that the panel is studying — granting admission on the basis of entrance tests from next year, considering 50 per cent marks from Class 12 exams and 50 per cent from an entrance test, or maintaining the status quo (keeping the cut-off system as it is).
The panel member added that if the university decides to go with the entrance exam option, it has two choices: to be a part of the Education Ministry’s Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET), or have its own.
Admissions to various undergraduate courses across DU colleges are currently done on the basis of Class 12 marks. Colleges release cut-offs and on the basis of those cut-offs, admissions are granted.
This year, however, there was a debate around students from some boards getting more marks as compared to others. According to reports, over 6,000 students from the Kerala board scored 100 per cent marks and were eligible for most courses where cut-off touched 100 per cent.
Also read: IIT Delhi beats UC Berkeley & University of Chicago in Times employability rankings, ranks 27th
‘No moderation of marks’
In order to correct this, there was discussion about moderation of marks from different boards before admission, the panel member said. However, the member added, the committee members said moderation of marks is highly unlikely and hence the university can look at ways to correct the admission process.
“We are not looking at marks moderation right now… We are studying the data from the exam and trying to see if there are any discrepancies that need to be corrected. We will submit our report to the academic council and the vice-chancellor and a final decision will then be taken by next month,” said the panel member.
The member added that there was an unequal distribution of students in the university — in some colleges, seats were overfilled and even those eligible for reservation could not get admissions, and at other institutes, seats remained vacant. These are the discrepancies that the panel is currently studying to assess what kind of intervention is needed.
Talking to ThePrint about the moderation of marks from different boards, a member of the DU academic council, the apex decision-making body on academic matters, said, “Marks moderation is very difficult… how are we going to compare marks from one board to another? Everyone has different criteria of allotting marks. Unless the boards themselves give a standardised format on how to equate marks with other boards, it’s very difficult for the university to do it on its own.”
Cut-off in DU colleges has often been a subject of criticism and discussion as it touches 100 per cent for some courses. However, despite the sky-high cutoffs, DU is the top choice for many students. The university gets the most number of applications among central universities — almost three lakh a year.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
Also read: India’s mechanical engineering course set for IT makeover, to include 3D printing & drones