Admission rush at DU

THE rush for admissions to Delhi University (DU) and the high marks scored by students in Class XII Board exams, forcing an even higher cut-off, have led to DU forming a nine-member committee to go into the details and bring about parity in the admission process. The sequence of lists for admission in the university invariably began with a high cut-off, with students scoring better getting admitted to the top colleges. But the lowering of cut-offs in the subsequent lists and the choice of subjects in its different colleges still offered the students a chance, boiling down to the question whether the student wanted to study a subject of choice or in the university itself.

Concerns had been raised earlier also over the high cut-off in DU, but with students from state boards faring well in the admissions this time, the committee is now considering admitting students based on their Class XII performance as well as the score in a proposed entrance test. The panel is considering normalisation of marks obtained in various board exams, not an easy task because each board follows its own curricula and method of marking, with Class XI marks also taken into account for evaluation. With the pandemic causing disruptions, the examination system also took a hit. A centralised admission process does not leave much scope for analysing board-wise intake.

Holding an entrance test for undergraduate courses right after the Class XII exams will have to ensure that the process is transparent and will lessen the crowd. Colleges may also consider increasing seats on a regular basis to cope with the rush. The rush at DU is also a reflection on universities in other states where academic sessions run late and the education imparted fails to meet the required standards. The University Grants Commission should focus on maintaining the quality of other universities also and encourage parallel academic centres of excellence equipped with the necessary wherewithal to decongest the leading universities and provide the students with avenues to enhance their knowledge and acquire the necessary skills.