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Admissions 2020

DU to Make Upcoming Admission Process Fully Online

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Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the University of Delhi (DU) admission process for the year 2020-21 is likely to go fully online.

In these tough times, one of the group which is suffering significantly is the present batch of 2021-2022. Considering the difficult situation and attempting to avoid any losses to them, the Delhi University is planning to make its entire admission process online for this year. Unlike, last time when students had to visit their respective colleges for document verification, this time they will rather be asked to upload the soft copies during the filling of forms, and get them verified later in July when the session commences.

The admission department also suggested of reducing the cut-offs but the final decision is yet to be declared. Shobha Bagai, the admission department head said, “Earlier, students had to go to college and get their original documents verified, but since we are in this situation we will ask them to upload their documents on the website.” However Rajesh Jha, executive council member expressing his disapproval towards the suggested process said, “Delhi University has a large number of colleges and courses. If students do a lot of reshuffling in the process of admission, then it will be cumbersome. Also, there are a large number who don’t have internet facilities.”

Harsh Malik, a student of Ahlcon International School, of the present batch said,” It would be really helpful if the process is made online. With everything happening we have already encountered enough academic strains and difficulties. Making the admission process online will make the application process easier or rather possible for everyone.” However, another student of the same school said,”It would be easier only for those students who have a stable internet connection at their homes, for all the others it would be unfair and would not ensure equal opportunity.” There is also a suggestion of creating help centres in colleges, for the aid of students facing an internet crisis and network issues, for better accessibility.

Feature Image Credits – Education After 12th

Kriti Gupta

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Campus Central

The IOE proposal: Discussion, Resistance and Rejection by DUTA 

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The Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) held an emergent meeting at Tuesday, 24th October 2019 to discuss the varsity’s twin move to create an “Institute of Eminence” within it and replace its various statutory bodies like Executive Council by an all-powerful Board of Governors.

DUTA had a meeting wherein recent issues of key importance were discussed. The meeting’s main motive was to formalise the arguments against the decision and submit the same to the University Administration expressing their concerns while also highlighting the possible consequences.

The concept of the institute of eminence is taken as a pathway for better education, however, a thorough understanding of the label is required. Here is an explanation of the same.

The status of institute of eminence will take place with the formation of 9 autonomous centres and the replacement with a separate board of directors. The exercise in creating a separate list of Institutions is geared towards promoting a special economic zone for Higher Education brands that may pursue commercial aims with impunity and without any public accountability, said DUTA. The organisation was responding to the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry decision to grant ‘Institutes of Eminence’ status to 6 institutions.

Along with the University of Delhi, the government granted ‘Institutions of Eminence’ (IoEs) status to IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the public sector, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, BITS Pilani and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation in the private sector.

Talking about IOE, to give the institute of eminence within the University of Delhi (DU) will lead to disintegration. DUTA’s discussion was pointed towards how currently, the entire University has been awarded the status of IoE, and it is shared by all the institutions, faculty members and stakeholders jointly. But once an independent parallel structure within it is declared as IoE, it will receive the entire limelight and government patronage leading to disintegration of unity among the institutions.

The DUTA is also opposing the University Administration’s decision to do away with the current administrative or statutory bodies of the university such as the Executive Council and Academic Council with an all-powerful Board of Governors. University has decided to advance the timeline of setting up a Board of Governors in line with the New Education Policy 2019, because of the following reasons:

The new Board of Governors will not be accountable to anyone within the university. Instead, the Board of Governors will only be accountable to the Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog, which is a cause for concern. In addition to this, the members of the Board of Governors will be nominated and not elected, from outside the university, which again calls for caution.

Talking about the advancement of plans to implement the Draft New Education Policy from 2020 to October 2019 itself, DUTA said, “This timeline seeks to do away with the statutory bodies like Executive Council, Academic Council, departmental councils and college staff council by the constitution of all-powerful BOGs (Board of Governors).”

DU is going to implement this BOG-ruled autonomous structure within the varsity in the  garb of eminence, where this institute would receive a grant of INR 1000 crore in 10 years from the Centre directly and their matters will never undergo the critical scrutiny from the EC, AC or Finance Committee which raises a bigger motive for privatization.

“The ’eminence’ tag is being used to dismantle the university when the government money should have benefited the entire university and improved its infrastructure” DUTA said allegedly.

The question is hand is why the university administration is taking such dire steps, going against their unions to implement this.

In a conversation with Abha Dev Habib, Office bearer, DUTA, she told DU Beat, as an answer to the above question, “It’s all just a big facade for privatization, commercialisation and corporatization of education. Whether they call it graded university, new education policy or institute of eminence, it’s just privatization, where there will be fee hikes, all in the name of profit.” She also said, “There will be a serious loss of accountability and greater disintegration.”

DUTA also criticized the way some private institutions have been selected as Institutes of Eminence.

The Government had received more than 100 applications for the grant of IoE status. Under Public Sector, the following have applied for the scheme-

  • 10 central universities
  • 25 state universities
  • 6 deemed to be universities
  • 20 institutions of national importance
  • 6 standalone institutions

As for the private sector, 9 private universities and 16 deemed to be universities have applied in the Brownfield category and 8 institutions have applied in the Greenfield category.

Existing standalone institutions which are not universities or deemed-to-be-varsities were allowed to apply under Greenfield category for Institution of Eminence status to avail greater autonomy and get a world-class reputation.

DUTA has been quite vocal in presenting their resentment against the proposal. Many staff associations along with students throughout the varsity have protested against this proposal and the new education policy.

Where colleges like Ramjas college went on a ten-day dharna, other colleges like Gargi college and Kamla Nehru college formed a human chain to show their resistance.

 

Staff association and students of Gargi college and Kamala Nehru College come together and form a long queue of protest against the privatization of University of Delhi with slogans like “Education is not for sale”. Video by Avni Dhawan for DU Beat

After the emergent meeting that took place on Tuesday where all the arguments were formalised, DUTA has rejected the proposal. It was rejected on the grounds that it involves a push towards privatisation of education as confessed by Mr. Prakash Javadekar while announcing it for the first time as Graded Autonomy for universities and grant of IoE status. He had confessed that these steps constitute the initiation of liberalisation in the education sector.

“It also gives the University the freedom to determine fees for domestic students subject to one meaningless rider. The rider is a principle that no one will be turned away for his/her incapacity to pay. In the absence of any guideline on how high the fees are and the means criteria to be entitled to fee waiver/scholarship. Loans binding their future would become the only effective mechanism.” said DUTA in their press release.

The DUTA Executive also took a decision to call for a Total Shutdown of the University on Friday, 25th October 2019 and a Dharna from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Executive Council meeting to protest against this move and also to demand the withdrawal of the 28th August 2019 letter asking for guest appointments to be made against all new vacancies.

Feature Image Credits: Abha Dev Habib

Chhavi Bahmba

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Bazinga

Bazinga- DU to give out reserved category seats through management quota

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By the next academic year, aspirants may get admission in Delhi University even if they score a 60%. Here’s how.

 

Starting next academic year, the University of Delhi is all set to introduce management quota in lieu of conducting special admissions drive for seats left vacant under the reserved category. This change comes as a much needed respite for both students and officials involved in the admissions procedure. A special admissions officer under the condition of anonymity, said, “The admissions committee believes that the recently concluded special admissions drive for reserved category students was a futile effort. It’s better to give out seats than leave them unoccupied.”

 

This move also comes as a blessing in disguise for the 28 DU colleges whose funding was recently discontinued by the Delhi Government. Adding to the widely discussed issue, the Executive Council announced that the University is slowly inching towards self-financing. The council has not yet resolved to remove the clause of funding by University Grants Commission (UGC) from the Delhi University Act, but has amended existing ordinances in favour of management seats.

 

With the introduction of management quota, funding for DU colleges will no longer remain an issue. According to research analysts, the cost of a single seat at a prestigious college’s coveted course can cost around 10 lakhs, or even more, depending on the demand. The academic council has not fixed any criteria for application, and hence it will entirely be on the basis of money and not merit. Over 5000 seats go empty every year after the 6th and 7th lists, and if you do simple math, the money received from this would be immense.

 

Unfortunately, a full-fledged quota with a fixed percentage like those observed in private colleges will not be implemented any soon. Only the sparse vacant seats that had originally been allotted to reserved category candidates will be given out. This is because introduction of seats given out under the discretion of the management implies privatisation, which would ‘tarnish’ Delhi University’s image as a premier institution for higher studies. Moreover, such a move would invite legal trouble for the university.

 

While most DU aspirants are welcoming the decision, the existing students are full of apprehensions. Most 2nd and 3rd year students are under the impression that implementation of a management quota would also result in greater autonomy for colleges, which may lead to a subsequent fee hike across all courses. One of the 3rd year students said, “I wish to see a revamped version of the shabby infrastructure of my college. I really hope the rumours about higher fees are false, though. ”

 

The solution posed to fill vacant reserved seats is definitely interesting, but chances are that it would lead to extreme complications. An incline towards a self-financing model means lack of transparency and a slow, consequent privatisation of the institution. The legacy of Delhi University as a premier government funded body might die soon, if the matter goes out of hand. We can, nevertheless, expect better infrastructure and facilities, and fewer pamphlets of touts claiming to give aspirants a seat in the course and college of their choice.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

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Admissions 2017

Delhi University to scrap centralised fitness tests for sports quota

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In a change brought about in its admission based on sport quota, Delhi University has decided to scrap the cemtralised fitness test for sports from the upcoming academic session. The fitness test, from this year onwards, would be based on a specific sport and will be held along with the trials of the corresponding sport.
The previous policy, which used the 50-50 formula, giving equal weightage to trials and certificates has now been changed giving 60% weightage to the trials and 40% to the certificates.

According to a senior university official, changes are being made in the admission process of the sports quota in order to make the process more transparent.

“This year, four types of changes have been made, including the decision to do away with the centralised fitness test and conducting a game-based fitness test. This would allow us to judge the fitness parameters of the student in that particular game/sport. Secondly, the weightage of the sports trial marks and certificates has been increased to 60 and 40 per cent respectively,” he said.

Furthermore, the trial test is divided into three sub-categories: game specific fitness test, overall playing ability, and test of fundamental skills of a sportsperson.

Another major change that has been brought about is that it would be mandatory to score at least 30 per cent out of 60 per cent marks. Trials will include points for sports, fundamental skills, and playing abilities. However, nothing has been decided about the number of points to be awarded for each level yet. Till last year, it was mandatory to get at least 25 in the 50 per cent weightage of the trial.

The fourth change is that the category-wise sports certificate list would now be made available in a ‘drop down’ menu divided into nine heads. The aspirants will just have to choose/mark the category under which his/her sport certificate lies, and will have to upload the scanned copy of the same online. The university will also make the verification of the uploaded certificate online.

Source: The Asian Age

Aditya Narang

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Life at Delhi University

5 Things Every DU Student does in Winters

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Whine about 8:30 classes Morning classes played antagonists in the sweaty days of the summer, and their peculiar attribute of unhappiness is carried forward to the foggy days of January and February as well. Minds old and young can comprehend the struggle of waking up early in the morning and amassing all perseverance into stepping out of the warmth of the blanket, and the unfortunate result ends up being a sad zero in the attendance record. In the words of everyone, “Dear morning classes, go away, we don’t need you!” Problematise regular wardrobe selection As cute and adorable winter outfits might look and attract us with all their stylish supremacy, it might be a struggle to put together an ensemble of our dreams every chilly morning. The weather variations don’t help either; for a brief while, the mornings are a source of significant shivering and grumbles but the afternoon brings in the very bright sun, and all those additional layers of sweaters could never appear to be more redundant. To wear or not to wear, that is the question! Hog tea and coffees Hot beverages are to winters what F.R.I.E.N.D.S is to a binge-watcher. The perfect embodiment of love and warmth in a cup is what these sources of happiness provide, with the yearning for those plastic cups increasing with the decrease in the temperature! Your love for coffee or tea from Sudama’s during the times of winters can give the Gilmore Girls a strong competition at Luke’s! Bunk classes for funsun-time As the day processes and the sun conveniently moves out of the confines of the clouds, the inhabitants of every college begin their journey from the darkness and cold air of the classrooms to the greenery of the grounds which rejoice under the warmth of the bright yellow sky. Once the residents settle in the designated areas and bask in the rays of comfort, the motivation for attendance in the scheduled future classes is significantly minimised, for the gleaming sun is our personal heater! Schedule the fest timeline plans Fests and winters are synonymous to a Delhi University student. The semester which we have embarked on comes with the woes of attendance issues and incessant internals and assignments. The only saving grace amidst the cold and bleakness can be the bountiful of merriment which resides with the days and times of the fest season, and the abundance of them require planning regarding when to go and where to go! Have you done these yet?  Image Credits: DU Beat Saumya Kalia [email protected]]]>

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Interviews

A Tête-à-tête with Rene Verma, Rhodes Scholar 2016

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Our conversation with Rene Sharanya Verma, a student of History at St. Stephen’s College, slam poet and feminist rapper, and one of the five Indian recipients of the prestigious Rhodes scholarship, reveals her expectations and plans for the future.

Q. How does it feel to have secured one of the most prestigious scholarships offered to Indian students by a foreign university?

Rene: It’s quite surreal, really! I’m humbled and honoured to be joining a cohort of eighty-eight other inspiring and inspired individuals around the world who are working in profound ways to create a better future through the fields of advocacy, gender relations, policy formulation, ethics, and healthcare. More than anything, availing of the privilege to study at a premier institution like Oxford reaffirms my commitment to using my voice and work to contribute to larger cultural and political conversations across the world.

Q. What course have you chosen to study at Oxford and what is your particular interest in this subject? How does it compare with similar courses at other institutions?

Rene: I intend to pursue two Masters of Studies (MSt) programs in Women’s Studies and Film Aesthetics. Ultimately, I aim to work on feminist film theory, engaging with how filmic elements like playback music, colour, light shape and are shaped by the performance of gender. Additionally, I am interested in addressing notions of spectatorship in the context of Indian cinema.  I also hope to create films, both fictive and ethnographic, which combine my love for spoken word art, narrative cinema, humor as a site for politics and advocacy.

Both programs offer an interesting blend of interdisciplinary engagement along with specificity of the course modules provided. They focus on research methodology and theory, have small batches of students, and the thrust is on original research through one-on-one mentoring and tutoring. More exciting however, is the provision of opportunities to work with the Oxford International Women’s Festival, the Women in the Humanities programme, and the International Gender Studies Centre. This provides a great chance for young scholars in the academy to engage with grassroots activism and the possibilities and challenges of transnational feminism.

Q. Most students are apprehensive about the daunting application process that is involved in applying to foreign universities. How was your experience?

Rene: I spent my second year hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I can vouch for the fact that application processes seem much more daunting than they actually are, especially if one paces themselves and is cognizant of deadlines. The process of applying to Rhodes is quite straightforward, and in distinction to other scholarship applications, begins quite early. I was able to zero in on my course combinations towards the end of my second year in college, and worked on my application during my summer study, which was beneficial.

One of the great things about the Rhodes scholarship is the amount of support you receive from the Rhodes Trust in assisting and streamlining the application process to the University, with reference to English language requirements, connecting with scholars from previous years and same courses/colleges. All in all, my experience has been very rewarding and relatively stress-free, so I’m quite relieved!

Q. What would be your advice to students applying abroad regarding statements of purpose and letters of recommendation?

Rene: The personal statement for the scholarship is a thousand word essay designed to present a concise version of one’s goals, aspirations, and by extension, who one really is. It can seem challenging at first, but I would highly recommend that candidates begin by thinking about the differences between an academic statement of purpose, a personal statement and a resume. It might ease one into thinking about how to approach the personal statement in a sui generis way- there is no right or wrong personal statement. I think the best way to go ahead is to present cogently and simply the arguments, questions, ideas, experiences that best define you. For instance, my statement revolved around silence, interweaving personal anecdotes with my academic proclivities and aims.

For the letters of recommendation, it would be prudent to approach professors, mentors and teachers who have encouraged your work through supervision, tutoring, discussion and are well aware of your strengths and weaknesses. I think that extends to certificates vouching for good conduct and extra-curricular activities.  It’s crucial to notify your references well in advance, keeping in mind their work schedules and other commitments. It is always helpful to provide referees with an idea of your proposed area of study, a resume and transcripts or other relevant documents.

Q. How was your experience at the interview? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how nervous were you?

Rene:  My interview experience was quite wonderful! I did experience jitters (which would ring in at a very strong 6) prior to the interview, but luckily, the committee organized a dinner with the interview panel a night prior to our final interviews. We got to interact with the panellists, distinguished scholars, professionals, and Rhodes scholars from previous years– who were kind, jocular and very accommodating. The setup also ensured that we got to interact with our peers, which was one of the most rewarding takeaways from the experience, as some of us formed great friendships.

The interview itself was refreshing and thought-provoking. It never seemed like an interrogation, and was an engagement where I was given a lot of space to articulate my beliefs and politics, research interests and achievements. The panel was not intimidating, au contraire, the panellists were very responsive to my answers and even shared a few jokes!

Q. What, according to you, was the most instrumental factor that led you to achieve the scholarship?

Rene: One thing that I’ve learnt is that there is no one type of Rhodes Scholar, and indeed, therein lies the beauty of the scholarship. I’d like to believe that one of the most instrumental factors that aided me was that I tried to be as honest about my beliefs as possible- to the interview panels, selection committee and most importantly to myself. I reckon my interests, both academic and extra-curricular, ranging from film-making, screenwriting, theater, spoken-word poetry demonstrated a singularity of purpose, and an unequivocal avowal to ideas I am passionate about.

Q. Do you have any apprehensions about moving so far away from home?

Rene: I have lived away from home prior to this, but never for so long. I’m going to miss the little things- hugging my family in vivo, eating in North Campus, walking in the Lodhi gardens. Living alone has also made me check my privilege and be grateful for things I took for granted—like household chores, food, and the presence of loved ones. Most importantly, I’m quite nervous about the weather, but I hope to bask in the ever-elusive sun as long as possible!

Q. What are you looking forward to at Oxford? Any expectations?

Rene: I’m looking forward to using two years of my life to expand my horizons, meet new people, travel on a budget, and create some meaningful work.  I am excited to join a vast community of intellectuals, engage with a multitude of ideas, and forge lasting friendships. I’m delighted to be connecting with advocates for gender equality from across the world, fellow poets and writers and I hope to work with theatre, sketch comedy and film clubs while I’m there!

Abhinaya Harigovind

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

DUSU elections through the lens of a regular college student

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DUSU Elections through the eyes of a regular college student

If ten years down the line someone asked me about the things I missed from my days spent in Delhi University, one of my answers would include election season! But, before you think that I’m a super active political party supporter or contesting candidate, let me tell you that I’m just a regular college student. Except voting, I’m not involved in any kind of political activity.

Here are some of the good, bad and weird things that happen and people you meet during the DUSU elections, from the perspective of a normal college student!

The white walkers

No, I’m not talking about the Game of Thrones. But beware of them if you are running late for your lectures as once caught, they would only let you leave when you would’ve heard their whole manifesto and memorised their party’s ballot numbers with their candidates’ name echoing in your head for a very long time.

The shouting drones

Well, these can give you a headache! They are posted everywhere- inside the metro station, near escalators, stairs and the road leading to your college, college gate. In short, they flank the road till you get inside the college building. They are from different parties, so as soon as they spot a person, their shouting competition begins. You cannot avoid them but, you can avoid the headache. Just plug in headphones and walk.

The class disruptors

These are my favourites but, only during super boring or miserable lectures. They ask the professors for ‘just two minutes’ and barge in. Sometimes, the professor may start scolding them which is pretty entertaining to watch.

You can’t avoid them but you can always be entertained by them. Use this precious disruption for a quick selfie, texting, Facebook update, Snapchat or just a power nap session!

There are other things in store for every student during the DUSU elections- walking on a carpet of pamphlets, getting freebies to ‘vote and support’ candidates even as they talk about honesty in their agendas and a lot of annoying text messages and phone calls too. The election shindig is indeed an amusing, albeit annoying, time in DU!

Image Credits: Nidhi Panchal for DU Beat

Nidhi Panchal

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Campus Central

Belling the CAT 2012!

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The road to the IIMs and many other reputed B-schools in India starts off with the all India CAT examination. This year, over 2.14 lakh candidates registered for the exam, a growth from the 2.06 lakh forms sold last year.

The dates for CAT 2012 are scheduled between the 11th of October and the 6th of November. The exam consists of 2 sections, the quantitative ability and data interpretation section and the verbal ability and logical reasoning. Each section includes 30 multiple choice questions. Many students opt for coaching classes for the exam, with TIME, IMS and Career Launcher being popular options. “Taking classes helps to organise and structure the preparation. Instead of tackling it in a haphazard manner, they help students lay down a plan of action. It also develops a competitive spirit in you when you’re studying in a class with around 40 other MBA aspirants!”, said Randeep Mahajan, a third year BCom (Hons) student in DU.

The weeks leading up to the exam saw a flurry of tips, dos and don’ts on various websites and Facebook pages to help maximise CAT scores. Though there were not too many students appearing for the exam on the first day, those who did, gave mixed reactions. While some reported it to be an easy, typical first day paper, others complained about the difficulty of the quantitative section. The results of the exam will be announced in January, next year.

Though it remains a popular course, the craze to acquire an MBA degree has lessened considerably in the past few years. Students are no longer blindly sitting for management entrance exams simply for the sake of it. As Amogh Dhar Sharma, a third year Economics student at Hindu College puts it, “MBAs are straight-jacketed to meet the needs of the corporate sector. I’m not sure if I want to pursue such a specific degree. I would rather get some work experience and then consider it”.

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