Cut-Offs To Stay, No Entrance Exam For Admission To Delhi University: Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar

Prakash Javedakar, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, has announced that admissions to Delhi University (DU) would continue to be based on class 12 marks, reports The Indian Express.

The minister’s remarks come a day after an earlier announcement by the university administration that an entrance exam will be held for admissions. Several academicians had praised this step, stating that this provides students with lower marks an opportunity to secure a seat in the university.

The move towards entrance exam had ruffled feathers in the DU teachers' association, several of whose members alleged that it was a move towards contractualisation and privatisation of the university. Academics for Action and Development said that it was a “conspiracy to deprive students from SC/ST/OBC, rural and underprivileged segments of society who are not in a position… to perform well in these examinations.”

President of the Delhi University Teachers Association, Rajib Ray stated that DU was a central university and that neither the vice-chancellor nor the HRD ministry could take decisions in isolation regarding the entrance criteria. He said that an ordinance needs to be proposed to the academic council after which a decision could be made.

He added that while some departments might want an entrance exam others might want to continue with the cut-off marks as the selection criteria. The cut-off marks criteria, however, has been criticised for not taking into account the alleged spiking of marks by some state boards, to ensure that their students get an edge in admissions.