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May 2017

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Within alternate modes of education, the University of Delhi offers ten different courses from the School of Open Learning for graduation and post-graduation. SOL will start the online admissions procedure for five undergraduate courses from 1st June for the session 2017-18.  Admissions open from July for undergraduate courses and from August for postgraduate courses. The undergraduate degrees include B.A. (Prog.), B.A. Political Science (Hons.), B.A. English (Hons.), B.Com (Hons.), and B.Com (Prog.). Students are required to make an application for admission to the courses offered by the School in the prescribed Enrolment-Cum-Admission form. The application form will be available on its website along with the prospectus. While the last date for application is July 31st, students can apply after paying a penalty fee of Rs. 100 till August 31st and Rs. 200 till September 15th.

The fees at SOL for students residing in India is lower than other colleges in the varsity offering regular courses. The minimal payment structure ensures that students from all financial backgrounds get a chance to pursue higher studies in the course of their choice. The annual fees for general category students enrolling for B.A. (Prog.) is Rs. 3430, Rs. 3530 for B.A. (Hons.) English and B.Com (Prog.), Rs. 3630 for B.A. (Hons.) Political Science, and Rs. 3830 for B.Com (Hons.). The fees are lower for reserved categories. H.C. Pokhriyal, Executive Director of SOL, said approximately 1.4 lakh students had enrolled in the five undergraduate courses last year.

The institute offers video lectures and access to the library, both online and offline. Most of the study materials can be accessed on its website. SOL does not have a cut-off list like regular colleges and the eligibility criterion for students is lower. The highest eligibility criterion in 2016 was for B.A. (Hons.) English at 65% aggregate, with at least 75% in English Core or 65% in English Elective or Functional English. The eligibility for the rest of the courses was 60% or below. The new prospectus will carry all the details regarding eligibility and guidelines for the admission process.

Eligibility Criteria for University of Delhi Correspondence Courses 2017

1) B.A. (Prog.) & B.Com (Prog.)

  • Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (Class XII) of the Central Board of Secondary Education, or an examination recognised as equivalent thereto, or Pre-University Examination of an Indian university recognised by the University of Delhi, or Intermediate Examination of an Indian university board, or an examination recognised as equivalent thereto.
  • Specific Requirements: Passed with 40% or above in any of the examinations.

2) B.A. (Hons.) English

  • Minimum Eligibility Criteria: At least 60% marks in aggregate in the Senior School Certificate Examination, conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi, or an examination recognised as equivalent to the above.
  • Specific RequirementsCandidates securing 70% marks in the English Core Language in Class XII and 60% in aggregate will be eligible for direct admission, or candidates securing 60% marks in English Elective and 60% in aggregate will be eligible for direct admission.

3) B.A (Hons.) Political Science

  • Minimum Eligibility CriteriaAt least 45% in the aggregate with Political Science in any of the examinations recognised by the University of Delhi.
  • Specific Requirements: Candidates securing 60% marks in the aggregate without Political Science in Class XII will be eligible for direct admission in Political Science (Honours) first year.
  • Candidates securing 45% in aggregate with Political Science as one of their subjects will be eligible for direct admission.

4) B.Com (Hons.)

  • Minimum Eligibility Criteria: 55% Aggregate, or 60% Aggregate of the vocational/technical stream with commerce.
  • Specific Requirements: The number of seats in Business Data Processing (Subsidiary) for B.Com (Hons.) is limited and admission will be on the basis of merit.

5) B.Com (Hons.) Optional Computer – Paper VI C

  • Practical Paper VI C: Option will be given on the basis of merit. This paper may or may not be allowed without practical.

Note:

  • SC/ST – Minimum passing marks in any one of the qualifying examinations
  • OBC – 10% of minimum eligibility marks prescribed for the general category students
  • PwD – 5% relaxation in minimum eligibility marks prescribed for the general category students

 

Feature Image Credits: School of Open Learning, University of Delhi

Radhika Boruah
[email protected]

The admissions for the University of Delhi’s merit-based courses commenced from May 22nd, receiving more than 6000 applications on the first day of the process. The application forms for the undergraduate entrance-based courses will be released on May 31st, along with the forms for postgraduate courses. The admissions procedure is expected to be completed on June 12th, post which the cut-off cycle will highlight the DU website from June 20th onwards.

While the majority of colleges consider applications under the umbrella of the varsity’s common admission form, St.Stephen’s College in North Campus and Jesus and Mary College in South Campus also require a college-specific form. The application timeline for both the colleges will follow the same schedule, with the application process culminating on June 12th. However, the candidate is required to fill the application form available on the college’s respective websites. Admissions will be done in conformity with the rules and regulations of the varsity, and the cut-off lists will be released by both the colleges as per the University’s schedule on their websites.

Admission Procedure: St. Stephen’s College

Image Credits: St. Stephen's College
Image Credits: St. Stephen’s College

Click here for the prospectus and here for the admission form.

Registration period: May 22nd, 2017 – June 12th, 2017

The candidate is expected to apply at the University of Delhi’s centralised admissions portal (https://ug.du.ac.in/app/). The registration number thus obtained should be used to fill up the online admission form to complete the application process. The application remains incomplete until both the forms are submitted.

An applicant can submit only one form. No changes and additions can be made after the submission of the application and payment of fees.

The shortlisted candidates on the basis of the Best of Four subjects will be called for a test and interview. The 30-minutes written aptitude test will be followed by an interview. The weightage of the selection procedure is as follows:

Class XII Marks: 85%

Aptitude Test: 5%

Interview: 10%

Sports quota candidates are required to upload scanned copies of certificates of their highest representation in the past three years. They will have to appear for trials and present the original documents/certificates according to the schedule intimated on the college website.

Admission Procedure: Jesus and Mary College

Image Credits: DU Beat
Image Credits: DU Beat

Click here for the prospectus and here for the admission form.

The eligibility criteria for courses is explained here.

Registration period: May 22nd, 2017 – June 12th, 2017

The candidate is expected to apply at the University of Delhi’s centralised admissions portal (https://ug.du.ac.in/app/). The registration number thus obtained should be used to fill up the JMC online admission form to complete the application process. The application remains incomplete until both the forms are submitted.

An applicant can fill only one form; 3 preferences can be marked on one form. If a candidate applies for B.A. (Programme), she will be provided three choices of discipline combinations in order of preference.

Students appearing for sports quota will have to appear for trials and present the original documents/certificates according to the schedule intimated on the college website. The minimum eligibility for appearing in trials is I/II/III position at the interzonal level or I/II/III position at the state level.

Students appearing for the ECA quota will have to appear for trials and present the original documents/certificates according to the schedule intimated on the college website.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

In a progressive step towards giving equal access to PWD students, the University of Delhi will now have reserved seats for acid attacks survivors and students with thalassemia and dwarfism.

These reservations are mandated bythe Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. According to this Act, all government institutions of higher education and other higher education institutions which get government aid must reserve at least 5% of the seats for persons with benchmark disabilities. Acid attack survivors and other disabilities such as dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, and slow learners have also been included under benchmark disabilities.

Anil K. Aneja, nodal officer of the DU equal opportunity cell claims that, “The files are under process and if everything goes according to the flow, we will implement the reservation policy as per the new act which asks to reserve 5 per cent seats for a person with benchmark disability during admission. We will also try to comply with the 4 per cent reservation in employment provision.”

Delhi-based acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal welcomed this move and said, “This will help create more awareness among people about acid attack victims. Most of the times, these victims feel alienated, and reluctance on our part to accept them further increases their plight. Reservation in universities such as DU is very supporting for us.”

In a survey conducted by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People (NCPEDP), it was found that a mere 0.56% of seats in higher education go to disabled candidates.

It is expected that after these developments, the university space will become inclusive.

 

With inputs from the New Indian Express and The Asian Age

Feature Image Credits: Digital Learning

Niharika Dabral
[email protected]

Having launched an app to ensure the convenience of blind students, Miranda House has now come up with three different apps to make college work easier for students and teachers alike. The college is ready to go live with the apps from the new academic session of 2017-2018.

The apps are called Event Hub, SmartProf, and InfraCare. Following are the details:

Event Hub:

> Students who head societies, unions, etc can book venues to organise and conduct events through this app.
> Similar interface lets one choose between the Seminar Hall, Auditorium, Heritage Hall, and Student Activity Centre.
> The app notifies one whether a venue is booked, or if an event taking place there is open or closed.
> Event posters have to be uploaded at the time of booking.
> The app also allows requisitioning of PA systems and other equipment.

Infra Care:
> Through this app, anyone can lodge a complaint about infrastructure issues in the college and the hostels.
> As proof, a photo legitimising the complaint has to be uploaded.
> Status of the complaint is shared with the complainant.

Smart Prof:
> Students and teachers can view attendance records, curriculum, and lecture locations.
> Teachers can take attendance on the app and the students can view it.
> Timetable and lecture timings can be set by the teachers.

The apps have been designed so as to cut down on red-tape and involve the students in the functioning of the college. In a statement to the Times of India, Dr. Pratibha Jolly, Principal of the college, maintained, “We are committed to building a technology-enhanced active learning environment, and realising innovatively the full potential of IT in education.”
With inputs from the Times of India

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

The Central Board of Secondary Education, which was anticipated to declare the Class XII Board results on May 24th, has announced that the results will not be released today. However, the results are not likely to be delayed indefinitely.

The Delhi High Court ruling by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Judge Pratibha M. Singh on May 23rd, 2017 was passed on a PIL filed by a parent and a lawyer, directing the CBSE to restore the marks moderation policy for this examination cycle. The petition sought to contend the decision on the grounds that the alteration in marking policy was executed through a notification by the CBSE only after the culmination of exams. The decision would have a “drastic effect on the students.”

Until now, ‘moderation’ has been a common practice undertaken by school boards to maintain uniformity in the evaluation procedure. This is done considering the variances in difficulty level and other factors.

The Board sources have confirmed that the results will not be declared today. “The results are not likely to be delayed. Even if we have to apply the moderation policy, it will not cause a lot of delay because everything is done scientifically,” a source said.

A meeting has been called by the Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar, to deliberate and act upon the High Court ruling. The meeting is expected to witness the presence of the CBSE Chairman, Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi, and the Department of School Education and Literacy Secretary, Anil Swarup, amongst other officials.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education to continue awarding grace marks to students to maintain parity in the evaluation process. The CBSE Board exam results which were scheduled to be announced tomorrow, i.e. May 24th, 2017, are now likely to be postponed considering the order.

A PIL was filed by a parent and a lawyer challenging the change in marking policy which was to be implemented by the board this cycle onwards. The interim order was passed by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Pratibha M Singh on May 23rd, 2017. The scrapping of moderation policy was deliberated and brought to a consensus in a meeting held in April, which witnessed the presence of 32 school boards. The petition sought to contend the decision on the grounds that the alteration in marking policy was executed through a notification by the CBSE after the culmination of exams. Hence, it would have a severe impact on students.

Until now, ‘moderation’ has been a common practice undertaken by school boards to maintain uniformity in the evaluation procedure. This is done considering the variances in difficulty level and other factors. However, its erroneous usage has also been cited as the foundational reason for the percentage spike, leading to cut-offs of 100% for a few courses by various colleges in the varsity since the last few years.

Last week, the CBSE appealed to the University of Delhi’s Vice Chancellor to grant appropriate weightage to the CBSE students for the undergraduate admissions, as it removed the moderation policy and anticipated a drop in scores. The students might face a disadvantage due to the practice still being adhered to by the other state boards. DU, however, rejected this plea.

The Delhi High Court regarded CBSE’s decision as “unfair and irresponsible,” and questioned the implementation of the change in policy from this year onwards, considering the results for the academic session 2016-17 are to be announced soon. The decision is said to have a “drastic effect on the students.”

Kirti Wadhwa, a recent pass-out, comments, “Moderation or no moderation, CBSE students continue to be the potential victims of flawed policies. Sadly, the ones at the highest disadvantage are the ones most deserving. Moderation means getting but not deserving, hence a hike in the competition. No moderation only in CBSE means no Delhites in the University of Delhi.”

“It would have been better had we been informed earlier about the alteration in the marking policy. Undoubtedly, the students are at an evident loss here,” says Aditya Subramaniam, a DU aspirant aiming to gain admission in the varsity.

Due to the order, the Board results are likely to be affected and delayed. The University of Delhi’s online undergraduate admissions portal became operational yesterday, with the last date for registration decided as June 12th, 2017.

 

Image Credits: The Financial Express

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

The tale of the dreaded day begins with a sleepless night. Tossing and turning, with momentary lapses of sleep, a recent school pass-out wakes up in the morning to realise the nuanced importance of the day.

The early arrival of the day which has been etched in the pages of history as the origin of happiness and dejection has left the internet inspired in a chaos of woes. The Bollywood-influenced memes, the rhetoric of future detachment from these scores, the brimming anxiety, and the inhabitants of the community who pester you with good wishes and unreasonable expectations – a recent pass-out is subjected to a spectrum of emotions in the hours preceding D-Day. Regardless of the significance of these marks, the fact that almost everyone is affected, positively or negatively, by the outcome of the result cannot be conveniently ignored. You might try to reason with yourself and endeavour to overcome the fear that grips the reins of your heart tonight; yet, it sustains and thrives. While no array of advice can prove to be advantageous in placating your worries, the idea of knowing what to expect tomorrow can temporarily soothe your vexed heart.

Fantasising multiple scenarios: As you lead up to the hours before you shall login to the CBSE website, the insecurities in your head and heart will probe you to predict the possible scores. All efforts shall be involved in calculating your Best of Four with these hypothetical cases, based on a presumptive knowledge of how well your paper went two months ago. While optimism is a human strength and necessity, try to keep the hopes on an average scale. You shall get more than what you anticipated, or you shall receive a score which was the nightmare of your dreams. Scores have been known to increase through re-evaluation, so don’t let your confidence fool you. Anything and everything can happen.

The familial conundrum: They are the Tom Hanks to your Leonardo DiCaprio; you can’t outrun them. All the jests conceptualised from the anecdotes of your dur ke relatives are known to resonate with reality. Your parents’ phone shall be the ground base of the familial expectations, and all those family groups which have been muted for one year would blast with messages preceding and succeeding the event. How do you tackle this unsought hassle? Ask your parents to maintain the concrete barrier between the questions of the relatives and your state.

Technical glitches and moment of truth: Fables of the technical issues pervading the realms of the CBSE website must have been made known to you through the grapevine. These are real, and extremely perturbing. Try to remember that thousands of applicants will be trying to gain access to their results, so patience is the key. Avoid being in public at the time when the results are expected to come; the delay in opening the website and the chaotic environment might enhance the maelstrom of dilemma in your mind. Also, CBSE is not known to be punctual. The results can come either before the estimated time or after. When it does, your heartbeats will fasten when you see this screen:

cbse-class-12th-results-2017
Image Credits: CBSE

The aftermath: The bomb has been dropped and your mind is in a state of frenzy. Science, Commerce, Humanities – these areas of study are now being perceived by you in a completely different way. You might be ecstatic with that triple digit score, you might be overjoyed with the 95+ marks in the majority of subjects, or you might be overwhelmed with attaining the score you’ve always dreamt of. Scenario 2: you might be dejected, you might be devastated. An idea in your conscience which reiterated everyday that you deserved to attain the highest possible marks for your hard work has now been defeated. For the former set, heartiest congratulations on this feat. For the latter, congratulations on displaying the best of your efforts, and finally being relieved of this bower. It might not have been what you expected, it might have been the reality of your worst nightmare – and we’re here to tell you that it’s okay.

Your dejection and disappointment might linger for hours, days, and weeks. Your capabilities might be put into question by the voices in your head. Remember, as important as it is to let your guard down and feel low for a while, don’t succumb to that vulnerability. The road after this milestone stretches miles and miles further, and you have yet to accomplish great feats. Apply for re-evaluation after discussing with your teachers if you feel you deserve more, look for prospective colleges and courses based on this outcome, apply for ECA to increase your chances, and muster the courage to look beyond this trough.

You will find yourself returning to the question of the significance of these marks. Does a sheet of paper deserve to decide your future? Indubitably not. Will that sheet of paper decide your future? Not necessarily. Not if you choose to accept the result for what it is and decide to undertake the next challenge. Not if you harbour the courage to negate your wallowing with newer ambitions. Not if you realise that where the road ends and where the next ‘chapter’ of your lives begin, it’s going to be okay.

All the best!

 

Feature Image Credits: SarkariLife

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

Hello Meal is an initiative taken by a few students of the University Of Delhi to provide a wide variety of foods. In a short span of time, they are now on a platform everyone wishes to be at. All their actions and activities have been conducted considering the needs and demands of the people. Hello Meal is a perfect way to have mouth-watering food at your doorstep, as it is highly convenient for students as well as for the local crowd in every manner. Not only are the prices reasonable, but the quantity is remarkable as well. They specialise mainly in North Indian, Chinese, and Continental cuisines, and are extremely popular for their biryanis and paranthas. Additionally, their Economical Meal Menu is exceptional.

Due to some shifting issues, they had briefly paused operating. However, there is no need to stress, as Hello Meal will be back again on Thursday, 25 May 2017 with the same energy and delicious food along with a satisfactory delivery at your door. They also offer the option of pre-booking a meal from the midnight of the 24 May.

Positioned in Vijay Nagar, Hello Meal offers home delivery from 11am to midnight. They are available on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and offer toll-free telephone assistance at 1800-200-5565. For a better experience, download the Hello Meal app available on Play Store. They can also be found on Zomato.

In a world where everyone is making money out of students, they are the ultimate saviours.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hello Meal
Content by Hello Meal

Every year, societies from colleges across the campus compete neck to neck and put up spectacular performances during the fest season. This year too, saw certain teams shine a little brighter than the rest. We bring you a series with college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields and took home the top prizes at various cultural fests.

With Indian Folk Dance being one of the most awaited events in all DU fests owing to its energetic, vibrant nature, societies from various colleges go head to head competing in the different fests. Although there is no doubt that all teams put up outstanding performances, this year, we were once again witness to one society whose performances outshone all the others. We bring to you a series featuring college societies that put in their blood and sweat, crafting exceptional productions for their respective fields to bag that prize at the end of the night. We present to you a list of societies that emerged as champions and took home the winning title at various cultural fests.

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The society that secured the 1st position was awarded 3 points, the society that secured the 2nd position was awarded 2 points and finally, the society securing the 3rd position was awarded 1 point. In this way, a tally system was devised as a means to choose the team that had secured the maximum number of points in events across colleges belonging to one particular category.

For the Indian Folk Dance (Group) category, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur (SGTB) Khalsa College scored the maximum points in the tally. Bhangra Inspire of SGTB Khalsa College and their energetic Bhangra dance performance bagged a total of 12 points, followed by Nrityakriti of Maitreyi College that secured 11 points and Nazaakat of Gargi College with 7 points.

The Winning Society at a glance

Bhangra Inspire, SGTB Khalsa College

This year, SGTB Khalsa’s Bhangra Inspire won hearts with their rendition of the energetic Bhangra form of folk dance. Using traditional steps in a unique manner, the society’s vibrant performance was widely appreciated at various dance events, with the society emerging victorious as the winning team of the tally.

The President of the society, Saranjeet Singh, shares their motto “Do, even if you die” and lists “dedication, hard work, focused and strategic training “as reasons behind their successful performance.

 

Names of performing members:

  • RupeshArora
  • Saranjeet Singh
  • Ramandeep Singh
  • Dilpreet Singh
  • Gagandeep Singh
  • Janmeet Singh
  • Kiratpal Singh
  • Jagtaj Singh
  • Analjeet Singh
  • Daljeet Singh
  • Harpreet Singh
  • Prithvipal Singh
  • Hakam Singh

Winners Tally

Nine college fests were referred to while evaluating the top societies tally this fest season which were: Tarang: LSR, Ullas: KNC, Tempest: Miranda House, Montage: JMC, Mecca: Hindu College, Reverie: Gargi College, Nexus: Sri Venkateshwara College; Confluence: Hans Raj College, Crossroads: SRCC. Out of the fests listed, only 7 had conducted a competitive Folk Dance Competition.

The society emerged victorious at the following fests:

1st Position: Tempest, Ullas

2nd Position: Mecca, Confluence, Nexus

(Hover on the icons below to know more about their victories)

Design by Alex Arthur

Anahita Sahu
[email protected]

Self-preservation is the law of the nature. It seems that the first year law students of Delhi University’s law faculty decided to follow nature’s law over the norms set by the University yesterday. The Campus Law Centre(CLC) of Delhi University had to postpone one of its exams of 1st year in the view of ruckus and violent atmosphere created by some students who were not provided their admit cards due to lack of attendance. The students of Law Centre I and Law Centre II protested for the fact that students of campus law centre being provided with provisional admit cards by the Prof. In Charge.

The first year students who reached Campus Law Centre to appear for their Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) exams were surprised to find a huge commotion in the centre along with a huge police presence. Some students who were protesting even threatened the authorities of committing suicide by jumping from the 1st floor of the building. The entire event which unfolded yesterday finds its origin in the act of the prof. in charge of Campus Law Centre, Prof. Usha Tandon who issued provisional admit to the detained students of CLC who had not been issued their admit cards due to lack of attendance. This act irked the students of the other centres who had not been issued any admit cards due to lack of attendance.

In an emergency meeting that took place among the dean, Pro vice chancellor(PVC) and the Prof in charge of the centres, it was decided that the Prof. in charges have no authority to issue admit cards, which can only be issued by the University to students who fulfil the criteria set by the Bar Council. Later, in another notice the PVC on the advice of proctor, allowed the prof. in charges to issue admit cards to students which was subject to PVC’s approval. This was met with another notice from the dean of law faculty who mentioned that she won’t be responsible if this action of the university leads to de-recognition of the degree by Bar Council later.

Later in a joint appeal to the detained students, the dean and the Prof. in charges requested them to co-operate with the decision of the University as their action can lead to derecognition of the degree of nearly 5500 students who are currently enrolled in the faculty. The exam which was cancelled will be held later.

Last year, similar ruckus forced the authorities to provide students with admit cards for which the University had to face the ire of Bar Council. “This ruckus by students who don’t attend the faculty for the entire semester is affecting the normal students” said Jaideep Panghal, a student of Law Faculty.

Although students have every right to protest, but is it just to prevent others from giving exams and coerce the authorities with suicide threats instead of attending classes?

You decide, and do tell us in the comments.

 

Image Credits: DU Beat

Srivedant Kar

[email protected]