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After a long wait, the University of Delhi has finally announced a tentative schedule for the entrance test based admissions for Master’s, M.Phil., and Ph.D.

The online registration for admissions to these courses will start from 12th June and will continue till 22nd June, 2017.

There are approximately 9,000 to 10,000 in postgraduate programmes such as M.A., M.Sc., etc. The number of seats in M.Phil. and Ph.D. courses is still being calculated due to the departments not yet confirming the number of research students a faculty member can take.

The schedule for entrance tests for the postgraduate programme is as follows:

Saturday, 1 July

  • B.Ed. Special Education (Visual Impairment)
  • M.C.A.
  • B.Ed.
  • M.Sc. Botany
  • M.A. Sociology
  • M.A. History
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Sociology
  • M.A. Urdu
  • B.P.Ed. (Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences)
  • M.A. Punjabi

Sunday, 2 July

  • Ph.D. in Computer Science
  • Ph.D. in Chemistry
  • M.Phil./Ph.D. in Italian
  • M.A. Political Science
  • Ph.D.in Philosophy
  • M.Phil./Ph.D. in French
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Political Science
  • Ph.D. in Arabic
  • M.Phil./Ph.D. in German
  • M.Sc. Zoology
  • Ph.D. in Anthropology
  • LL.B. M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Zoology
  • M.A. Sanskrit
  • M.A. Persian
  • Ph.D. in Sanskrit
  • M.Phil. in Persian
  • M.Sc. Operational Research
  • M.A. /M.Sc. Applied Operational Research
  • M.A. French /M.A. German,
  • M.A. Italian/M.A. Hispanic
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Operational Research
  • LL.M.
  • M.Sc. Food and Nutrition
  • Ph.D. in Law
  • Ph.D. in Home Science
  • M.P.Ed. (Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences)
  • Ph.D. in Business Economics
  • M.A. in Psychology
  • Ph.D. in Psychology

Monday, 3 July

  • M.A. Economics
  • M.Sc. Environmental Studies
  • M.Sc. Fabric & Apparel Science
  • M.Phil. (Department of Home Science)
  • Ph.D. in Economics
  • Ph.D. in Environmental Studies
  • M.Sc. – Ph.D. combined degree in Biomedical Sciences & M.Sc. Degree in Biomedical Sciences (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research)
  • M.A. Japanese
  • M.A. East Asian Studies
  • M.Sc. Development Communication and Extension (Department of Home Science)
  • Ph.D. in East Asian Studies
  • Master of Library & Information Science
  • Ph.D. in Library & Information Science (Deptt. of Library & Info. Sc.)
  • M.Phil. in Library & Information Science (Deptt. of Library & Info. Sc.)
  • M.A./M.Sc. Mathematics
  • M.Phil./ Ph.D. in Mathematics
  • Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences
  • M.A. Applied Psychology
  • M.Sc. Microbiology
  • M.Sc. Electronics
  • Ph.D. in Microbiology
  • Ph.D. in Electronics
  • M.A. Tamil
  • M.Sc. Resource Management & Design Application (Department of Home Science)
  • M.A. Bengali
  • M.A. Comparative Indian Literature
  • M.A. Russian
  • M.Phil. in Modern Indian Languages & Literary Studies
  • M.Phil. in Russian Studies

Tuesday, 4 July

  • M.A./M.Sc. Statistics
  • M.Sc. Physics
  • B.Ed. Special Education (Mental Retardation)
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Statistics
  • Ph.D. in Physics
  • M.Phil. in Karnatak Music
  • M.Sc. Geology
  • M.A. Philosophy
  • M.Com.
  • M.Phil./Ph.D. in Geology
  • M.Phil. in Philosophy
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Commerce
  • M.A. English
  • M.A. Arabic
  • M.A. Linguistics
  • Ph.D. in English
  • M.Phil. in Arabic
  • M.Phil./ Ph.D. in Linguistics
  • M.Sc. Informatics (Institute of Informatics & Communication)
  • M.Sc. Anthropology
  • M.Tech. Microwave Electronics
  • Ph.D. in Informatics (Institute of Informatics & Communication)
  • M.Phil. in Anthropology
  • M.Phil. in Hindustani Music
  • Ph.D. in Persian
  • M.Sc. Genetics
  • Ph.D. in Russian
  • M.Sc. Human Development and Childhood studies (Department of Home Science)
  • Ph.D. in Genetics
  • M.A. Environmental Studies
  • M.Sc. Plant Molecular Biology & Biotechnology
  • M.Ed.
  • Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
  • M.Phil./ Ph.D. in Education
  • M.Sc. Mathematics Education (Cluster Innovation Centre)
  • Ph.D. in Modern Indian Languages & Literary Studies
  • Ph.D. in Bio-Physics

Wednesday, July 5

  • M.A. Social Work
  • M.A. Buddhist Studies
  • M.A. in Life Long Learning & Extension
  • M.Phil./Ph.D. in Social Work
  • M.Phil. in Buddhist Studies
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in Adult Continuing Education & Extension
  • M.Phil. in Hindi
  • M.A. Geography
  • Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies
  • M.Phil./ Ph.D. in Botany
  • M.Phil. /Ph.D. in Geography
  • M.A. Hindi
  • M.Phil. / Ph.D. in History
  • Ph.D. in Urdu
  • Ph.D. in Hindi
  • M.Phil. in Urdu
  • M.Phil. in English
  • Ph.D. in Punjabi
  • M.Phil. in Sanskrit
  • M.Phil.(Biotechnology) (Faculty of Applied Sciences- offered by Departments of Microbiology, Genetics, Biophysics and Biochemistry)
  • M.Sc. Biochemistry
  • Ph.D. in Biochemistry
  • M.Phil. in Punjabi
  • M.Sc. Forensic Science (Department of Anthropology)
  • Ph.D. in Financial Studies
  • M.A. Hindustani Music
  • M.A. Karnatak Music
  • Ph.D. in African Studies
  • Ph.D. in Hindustani Music
  • M.Phil. in African Studies
  • M.A. Percussion Music
  • Ph.D. in Karnatak Music
  • Ph.D. in Music & Fine Arts

 

You can download a PDF version of the schedule here.

50% of the total seats in most postgraduate courses in the varsity are reserved for direct admission for students who have completed their undergraduate degree from the University of Delhi itself. This direct admission is based on the marks scored by the applicants in their undergraduate courses. The remaining 50% seats are given to applicants who qualify in the entrance examinations. Some departments also choose to conduct interviews or group discussions after the entrance exams.

 

Feature Image Credits: India.com

Niharika Dabral
[email protected]

After his largely successful tenure as the mentor of the national team for more than a year, Anil Kumble has decided to call it a day, citing professional indifferences with the captain as the reason of the decision.

After the humiliating Champion’s League final defeat by a margin of 180 runs of the Indian team at The Oval in London at the hands of Pakistan, a major announcement for the fans around the nation was in store. On Tuesday evening, Anil Kumble announced his resignation from the office of  the Head Coach of the national team. This announcement came out after his widely speculated feud with Virat Kohli and the persistent reports that Kohli and company was not comfortable with his coaching style. In the resignation letter that surfaced later the night, Kumble said that he was “surprised” by Kohli’s “reservations” since he had “always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach”.He wrote that “Professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views are the key traits I bring to the table. These need to be valued for the partnership to be effective. I see the coach’s role akin to ‘holding a mirror’ to drive self-improvement in the team’s interest. In light of these ‘reservations’, I believe it is best I hand over this responsibility to whomever the CAC and BCCI deem fit. He further added that, “Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstanding between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on.”

These developments followed unequivocal outcry from the Indian cricketing community as many veterans credited Kumble for his contributions to the team being critical at the same time of the superstar culture in the team. Former Indian player Bishan Singh Bedi supported Kumble’s decision of stepping down as the head coach of the Virat Kohli-led Indian team. “It was a job well done and he didn’t get into the limelight while going about it. He got the results. Can anyone challenge that? Kumble was not sitting idle. This is not a happy development for Indian cricket,” said Bedi in an exclusive chat with NDTV. According to another report by NDTV, Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying “India have won everything since the time Anil took over. I can’t see Anil doing much wrong in one year. Difference happen in any team but see at the results. If any of the players are complaining, I feel those players are the ones who should be left out of the team.”

In addition to this coaching stint which saw India reclaim the top Test spot, Jumbo has always been acclaimed for his never-say-die attitude towards cricket. His 10 wicket haul against Pakistan on 7th February, 1999 at Feroz Shah Kotla and the way he braved a broken jaw to bowl 14 overs on the final day of the Antigua Test against West Indies in 2002 quite portray the personality he is.

 

Image Credits- Indian Express

 

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

At the stroke of midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awaken to economic reforms and a faster pathway to development. It is fitting that at this solemn moment, the introduction of the GST will be commemorated by a loud gong, which shall echo in new changes and national progress. Yes, there exists a strong resonance of Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech in this unprecedented journey to economic progress.

On the midnight of June 30th, the most significant economic reform since BJP’s rise to power will receive the official green light for implementation. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has been under the wraps for a few years now, will mark its rollout by a special midnight session in the Parliament. Both the Houses of the Parliament will meet to collectively welcome the economic change at the Central Hall, with the President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing the assembly from 11 p.m. on June 30th till 12:10 a.m. on July 1st.

What is GST?

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is touted to be the harbinger of a dramatic makeover of the Indian economy. The tax aims to unify a web of taxes which are currently levied on the Indian consumers, including the VAT, excise duty, and service tax. A four-rate structure that imposes a low rate of tax of 5 per cent on essential items and the top rate of 28 percent on cars and consumer durables has been finalised. The other slabs of tax are 12 and 18 per cent.

When is it launching?

After smoothing over the major stubs on the way, the tax is all set to be launched on the midnight of June 30th and July 1st at the Central Hall. The Chief Ministers of all states have also been invited for the launch as it is being touted as a means of fiscal transparency and freedom. The function will be an hour long and will witness the President and Prime Minister speak on this economic transition. Two short movies will also be screened in this ceremony.

Arun Jaitley, the Finance Minister, said, “When the switchover takes place, in the short term there will be some challenges,” and added that it is “not a complicated process.”

Is GST revolutionary?

Policy makers deem it as the biggest reform in Indian economic history since the Independence. The launch of GST is projected to add 2 points to the country’s GDP growth rate, along with the widening of the tax net which tacitly increases government revenues. The implementation of this unified tax stems from the objective of simplifying the tax administration, minimising tax rate slabs, preventing detrimental competition between states, and increasing compliance. However, the obvious obstacles which pave the way include training of necessary manpower for implementation, lack of clarity of mechanism, and uncertainty of the overall impact. The tax primarily subsumes all regulations levied by the state and central government, and offers one replacement for all. The GST Council has met 17 times to work on the strings of the plan. More than 65 lakh businesses have signed up to undergo this process, and will be allowed a leeway of the first two months to file returns.

Feature Image Credits: Storypick.com 

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

Students and aspiring college teachers from across different universities staged a protest outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) office on June 16, 2017. The protest demonstration was against the scrapping of the National Eligibility Test (NET) in July.

Earlier in January, the University Grants Commission (UGC) decided to scrap the National Eligibility Test (NET) exam scheduled for July 2017 and shifted it to November 19. This meant that the NET exam in December won’t take place this year. The exam that was held twice a year and conducted for 83 subjects at multiple locations across the country, will now onwards only be held once a year.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which has been holding the test since 2014, had last week notified that the NET would be held in November. Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, chairman of CBSE, wrote to the HRD ministry resonating that due of heavy workload the JRF exam should be held just once a year. The exam in which over 5 lakh candidates take the exam every year, has been held twice a year since it was started in 1984.

The protesting students also raised concerns over the reduction of the cap to qualify for NET at 6 per cent from the 15 per cent earlier. They have also started a “Save NET exam” online petition, which will be submitted to the UGC. The petition can be found here. 

Demonstrators said that holding it once a year will increase pressure on students. They attributed the reduction in qualifying percentage is part of a bigger plan where the government is enervating public funded education, by scuttling funds and seat cuts.

Feature Image credits: DU Fights back fb page

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

The University of Delhi has announced a revised policy for this year’s undergraduate entrance-based admissions. The courses administered under the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities, including Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), Bachelor of Business Administration (Foreign Investment Analysis) and B.A. (Hons.) in Business Economics, are increasing the number of seats from last year’s 884 to 1,162.

These management courses undertake students by conducting a Joint Admissions Test (JAT). The second-level of the process involves a Group Discussion and Personal Interview, based on which a merit list announced the ranks of the candidates. The entrance test was given a weightage of 85%, while the latter held a weightage of 15%. This year, however, the varsity has decided to do away with the process of GD-PI.  The admission process will be done on the basis of an entrance test and the candidate’s 12th Board marks, assigning 65% weightage to the former and 35% to the merit score.

The registration for the entrance based exams was scheduled to commence from May 31st this year. However, due to the policy changes, the portal became operational on June 16th, and will accept applications until June 25th. The entrance test is anticipated to be scheduled in the first week of July.

The two-hour long entrance test will be an objective-type, multiple-choice question paper. It is designed to test the aptitude of the candidate in the following areas: Quantitative Ability, Reasoning and Analytical Ability, General English, Business and General Awareness. A correct answer will allow the candidate to receive 4 marks, an incorrect answer will lead to a loss of one mark, and zero marks will be awarded to a question not attempted. The eligibility for the course is a minimum of 60% in Board in four papers including English, Mathematics and other two elective subjects, as per List A.

The three courses are offered by a variety of colleges in the varsity. They include:

BMS: Aryabhatta College, College of Vocational Studies, Deen Dayal Upadhyay College, Keshav Mahavidyalay, Ramanujan College, Ram Lal Anand College, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce [553 seats]

BBA (FIA): Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences [136 seats]

BBE: Aryabhatta College, BR Ambedkar College, College of Vocational Studies, Gargi College, Lakshmibai College, Maharaja Agrasen College, Shivaji College, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College [473 seats]

 

 

Feature Image Credits: dubeat.com 

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

 

 

There are seven vocational courses offered by the University of Delhi out of which for four of the courses, Mathematics has been made a compulsory subject: printing technology, web-designing, software development and banking operations. From this year, students opting for vocational courses in DU will have to include Mathematics in their best of four percentages. Hence, for calculating the best of four percentages, mathematics will have to be included along with one language and two other elective subjects. However, it is not compulsory to include the subject for B.Voc healthcare management, retail management and information technology. Some of the regular courses where it is a compulsory subject are Economics (Hons), B.Com (Hons) and Computer Science (Hons), among others.

Started in 2016, B.Voc programmes have been designed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as per the National Skill Qualification Framework of the Ministry of Skill Development, emphasising on skill-based education in consultation with the National Skills Development Corporation.

It has multiple entry and exit points, except that the programme is like any other regular course. Students have the option to leave after the second and fourth semester and will be awarded a diploma or an advanced diploma accordingly.

Vocational subjects will be treated as academic subjects for those opting for the programme. Students who have passed related vocational subjects and wish to include them in the best of four will get two per cent advantage. An additional advantage of one per cent is given if a candidate has studied more than one related vocational subject, included in the best of four calculation.

For other courses, inclusion of vocational subject in the best of four will lead to a 2.5 per cent deduction in percentage. Officials said that in the academic council meeting, to be held on June 20, teachers will discuss the UGC letter which states that the “B.Voc degree should be considered equivalent to other degrees”. The letter also states that the “degree be considered for competitive exams and allow students trans-discipline vertical mobility”.

Colleges offering B.Voc courses are Jesus and Mary College, Kalindi College, College of Vocational Studies and Ramanujan College. Admissions to these courses are done on the basis of cut-offs released by the colleges. The colleges have 350 seats.

Image Credits: DU Beat

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

After a flurry of court orders, shifting timelines, and adapting new policies, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the Class 12 Board examination results on May 28th, 2017, after a delay of about a week. Following the release of the much-anticipated results, the Board opened the application for verification of marks and subsequent re-evaluation procedure. Every year, this procedure commences to ensure that all queries with regards to the distribution of marks are satisfactorily met. This year, the Board has been flooded with an unprecedented number of applications for the same.

Cases of students who had applied for this process and had their marks substantially increased are making the rounds. According to The Times of India, one student who managed to score 42 in her Mathematics exam received a 90 after undergoing the verification procedure. Similar boosts were also witnessed in other cases, as a student jumped from 68 to 95 marks. Another student who was shown to secure 9 marks cleared the exam after the marks were revised to 45. Last year, a student had received 85 in the answer sheet, which were increased to 98 marks after the re-evaluation procedure.

A CBSE official admitted the shortcomings in this year’s evaluation procedure. The errors can be attributed to a range of reasons; including the supplementary sheets getting detached, incorrect transfer of marks to the first page by the examiner, incorrect tallying of marks by the Board. The number of applications have thus, seen an unprecedented rise.

Currently, the Board only allows students to pursue verification of marks. For further re-evaluation, a student must approach the Court for the Board to consider his/her grievances. Such a cumbersome process often discourages students from undertaking the elaborate steps, thus, they conform to their erroneous marks even when they deserved more.

Moreover, the Class 12th marks are an integral component for applications under the University of Delhi. The verification of marks procedure often takes weeks before the student is informed of a change in marks. The registration process for the merit-based courses under the University of Delhi closed on June 13th, 2017, until which many candidates had not received the re-evaluation results of their Board scores. Such a disparity in time also often discourages the students from committing to the verification procedure.

A DU-aspirant who recently passed her 12th exams says, “It is extremely troublesome how the Board refuses to accept the answer books for re-evaluation, when there exists a blatant error in evaluation of marks. In my Economics paper, the examiner has marked three 6 marker questions wrong, out of which 2 are numericals. According to the answer key, these three questions are absolutely correct, considering there is no scope of doubt when it comes to the evaluation of numericals. Now they refuse to award me 18 marks which I clearly deserve. The undertaking we have signed prohibits us from pursuing this issue any further.”

“I have scored fairly good marks in all other subjects, but the marks in this paper will hamper my admission into a decent DU college”, she said.

Such drastic revisions hint towards a flaw in the functioning of the academic setup, with many claiming this to be a major bungle on CBSE’s part. Students are compelled to question the credibility of the marks awarded by one of the largest academic Board of the country. The underestimation of marks also negatively affects students’ morale and future college selection prospects.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

A 25% increase in fees at Ramjas College will be effective from the 2017-2018 academic session. Such a hike will require every student from across courses to pay an additional amount of Rs. 2500 each. The decision was made in a staff council meeting of the College, held on Friday. Acting principle, P.C. Tulsian maintained that the fee hike was necessary in light of the developmental work taking place in the college. Moreover, he said that the University does not give funds for the same.

However, the move has not gone down well with the faculty and students of the college. Students view it as a clear movement towards privatisation of the college. They’ve also criticised the fee hike as going against the public-funded nature of government colleges and a sheer attempt to dismantle it. For years, the University of Delhi has invited students from various economic backgrounds. However, due to such a move, students from lower income groups are bound to be burdened by the added expenses.

This decision by Ramjas College comes shortly after the move to inflate hostel fees at the DS Kothari hostel. In a statement to the New Indian Express, a group of DU students remarked:

“If all colleges and hostels will slowly hike their fees, even when the varsity is central and public funded, then where will the poor students go? It clearly states that the varsity is moving towards autonomy and privatisation of education.”

Following the controversy to make St. Stephen’s College autonomous and the recent NAAC appraisal, many have begun to view such moves as part of an agenda to privatise higher education.

Please write to us, expressing your thoughts on the same.

With inputs from The Statesman and The New Indian Express

 

Feature Image Credits: Ramjas College
Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

 

Every year, the University of Delhi offers two branches of admissions to undergraduate aspirants. The merit-based courses are administered through the release of cut-offs, while the entrance-based courses undertake candidates through an entrance test and the conduction of a GD-PI process in some courses. This year, the entrance-based registrations were scheduled to commence from May 31st. However, after a delay of 15 days, the registration portal will become operational from June 16th, at 6:00 p.m.

The courses administered through entrance examinations are as follows:

  1. B.A. (Hons.) Business Economics
  2. Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS)
  3. Bachelor of Business Administration (Financial Investment Analysis) (BBA (FIA))
  4. B.A. (Hons.) Humanities and Social Sciences
  5. B.Tech. (Information Technology and Mathematical Innovation)
  6. Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.)
  7. B.Sc. Physical Education, Health Education, and Sports (B.Sc. (P.E.H.E.&S.))
  8. B.A. (Hons.) Multimedia and Mass Communication
  9. B.A. (Hons.) Music

The entrance tests will be conducted in 18 cities and will be online computer-based. The entrance test for B.A. (Hons.) Music will be based on a practical admission entrance test, which will be held in the Department of Music, Faculty of Music & Fine Arts, University of Delhi.

The merit-based undergraduate admissions portal became functional on May 22nd, with the registration ending on June 13th, 2017. The cut-off lists are scheduled to be announced starting from June 24th.

You can access the link to the entrance-based admissions portal here.

 

Feature Image Credits: University of Delhi

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

Delhi University has released its schedule for the sports trials for admissions session 2017-18. The trials are conducted every year to admit students to different courses and colleges on the basis of Sports Quota. The trials are going to start from 27th June onwards. Here is a complete list of the games, their trial date and time and the venue for the trials.

If you are one of the applicants, you need to bring a printed copy of your undergraduate form along with you when you appear for trials. Furthermore, applicants of some particular sports are requested to bring their own equipment. The release also forbid the entry of parents inside the venues of the trials.

While the University has the provision of admitting applicants who have represented the country at International level, other applicants who do not satisfy this criteria would have to appear for the trials. In past years, students of the University have gone forward to win medals at national and international levels. The University has produced several sports stars like Gautam Gambhir, Ajay Jadeja and many more.

Schedule for Sports trails
Schedule for Sports trials
Schedule for sports trails
Schedule for sports trials
Schedule for Sports trails
Schedule for Sports trials
Equipment required for sports
Equipment required for sports

You can download the PDF version of the same here.

The new season will start from 20th July onwards. The trials carry 60% of the total weightage while the certificates account for 40% of the total score. Candidates combined score would be used to calculate the overall merit list on the basis of which candidates would be offered admissions in various courses in various colleges.

 

Srivedant Kar
[email protected]