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For students who fail in a single paper and are unable to finish their degree, Delhi University (DU) will look into offering a special moderation of up to 10 marks. Students who demonstrate good explanations for their failure on the papers will be eligible for this relief.

Delhi University has proposed a unique arrangement that would allow students to finish their degrees even if they have exhausted all attempts but were unable to pass one paper. Students will be granted a final moderation of 10 marks irrespective of any grace marks already applied. This proposal will be presented before the DU’s Academic Council on Thursday.

The document further states that since the implementation of National Education Policy Undergraduate Curriculum Framework-2022, students have been able to get a diploma or a certificate for their respective course if they were unable to complete their degree within the specified period of seven years. Delhi University allows students a span period of 6 years, starting from the year of admission, to complete all the course requirements for the degree. The university has proposed to set up a committee to evaluate requests from students who have exceeded their span period. It states

“The situation becomes particularly challenging for students who have passed all course requirements except for a single paper due to the adverse circumstances faced by student/s preventing them from completing the degree,”

The document was prepared by Ajay Arora, the officer on special duty at the examination branch. He added,

“Earlier if someone couldn’t complete the honours programme, they could only be given a BA programme degree. As semester and other systems came in, there was a need for a system to give students another chance. This special relief may be extended even to students who have exhausted all their opportunities for special chance examinations as granted/ as may be granted by the university’’

The university has also decided to prepare a special proposal for students who elapsed their span period during the COVID 19 pandemic, taking into account the challenges posed to the students such as limited access to resources, and several health-related concerns causing significant stress to the students due to their academic situation.

“Providing them with this opportunity will contribute to their mental well-being and relieve their academic burden” the document stated.

This provision will be discussed by a committee of academic advisors, faculty and administrators to evaluate such requests. Students who wish to avail this have submit an application clearly stating valid reasons for span period extension, the proposal stated.

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Read Also: https://dubeat.com/2023/04/26/du-students-must-now-take-additional-classes-to-clear-practical-exams/

Saanvi Manchanda

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A ‘glitch’ on the Samarth portal caused chaos as 300 students faced hindrance when it came to submitting forms, leading to frustration among the student body which has often faced issues in accessing DU’s online portals with ease. 

Around 300 University students complained about a ‘glitch’ while navigating the Samarth portal, about the subject/course mapping feature, which acted as a disruption while filling out examination forms

Addressing the issue in a report by PTI, Ajay Arora, O.S.D. (Examination) stated that the issue was being faced due to the students incorrectly filling in the enrolment numbers. He further stated that the DUCC will look into the matter and would have to manually correct the enrolment number which might take a day or two to rectify, as the administration would have to cross-check the details of those students with their bank account details.

Students enrolled in postgraduate courses like M.A., M.Sc., and M.Com., including visually impaired students, encountered difficulties while selecting their courses or subjects on the portal.

The students continued to face such persistent obstacles despite a deadline for submission, previously set as 24 November by the Examination Branch.

India Today reported that Maya John, an assistant professor at Jesus Mary College, expressed deep concern over the difficulty faced by the students.

She brought attention to the fact that those students had been running from pillar to post since October, seeking the help of various offices in order to fill out their examination forms on the  portal. She also emphasised the lack of assistance and coordination among different department offices which caused distress among students.

Although the University has extended the examination form submission deadline to 5 December, John in her letter, emphasised the urgency to resolve the issue and urged Vice- Chancellor, Yogesh Singh to revise the deadline and address the lingering subject/course mapping issue on the portal. 

Expressing the need for immediate action, John stressed that the university ought to look into these complaints and the recurring issues with the Samarth portal, to ensure that students don’t face such problems in the future.

Read Also: https://dubeat.com/2023/11/24/delhi-university-issues-safety-advisory-ahead-of-fest-season/

Featured Image Credits: Devesh for DU Beat

Gauri Garg

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While Delhi University’s online examination form portal crashes, students express uncertainty about appearing for end semester examinations if conducted online. 

On 20th of April 2020, Delhi University (DU) released a student portal to fill online examinations form. The portal appeared to be quite stressful for students as they battled with heavy traffic, constant crashes and unstable internet connectivity. Students were left in a state of uncertainty, doubt and obscurity regarding the conduction of online examinations for concluding 2019-20 Even Semester.

As the portal surrounds itself with internet issues, students question whether the online examinations can be successfully carried out in a social diversity like that of Delhi University. Paridhi Puri a student of Jesus and Mary College (JMC), spoke to DU Beat regarding her inaccessibility in operating the portal. “When the portal launched the day before yesterday, it immediately crashed. Even in Delhi, there are internet issues now due to exceeding the stipulated bandwidth. For about 30 minutes, I struggled to open a single link, which is highly irresponsible. The University infrastructure is not equipped to entertain an online form, how can they successfully conduct an online examination for 3 hours that too for so many subjects? It just shows how ill-equipped DU is.”

Another student from JMC who belongs to Kashmir, also shared, “If there are online exams, it will be very difficult for the students who are in Kashmir right because there is only 2G internet speed here. Sometimes we are able to attend all the classes and the connection is good but sometimes even in downloading a single page it takes a lot of time and effort. It is unpredictable . Even today during the Commerce exam there was a lot of problem, the connection was not proper and was getting disconnected again and again. And if in case the exams take place online and something like this happens it will be very very unfair for all the students who are in Kashmir right now. Normally even with 4G connection any error an occur , so obviously with only 2G internet connection the chances become double !”

However, Vinay Gupta, Dean of Examination Branch refutes such claims. He spoke with The New Indian Express, and said, “The university has not taken a decision yet to conduct online examinations. A student portal has been launched so that students can fill their examination forms. This online platform has been created due to the lockdown. Also, on the first day, due to heavy traffic, the website has been slow; it will function better in a day or two.”

As semester exams in Calcutta University prepare to be clubbed, DU too, hinted towards an online examination. Several students raised concerns about DU’s indifference towards the students’ social background. Vinitha Singh, a student from a village near Pali, Rajasthan, stays in a low network area. “We cannot even speak over the phone, very rarely we get reception and internet on the top floor. I am unable to attend online lectures, I doubt I’d be able to appear for online exams. I just hope they cancel.” 

Students pursuing commerce raise concern over online calculations while students from theoretical background question the typing speed required for a three-hour examination. Pankaj Kumar Garg, Mathematics professor, Convenor, INTEC and former member of the Academic Council, expresses his disapproval of the online examinations proposal. Speaking to The New Indian Express, “Given the various types of courses offered by the university, applying the same model for assessment is unjustified… Good typing speed is required for theoretical papers. By adopting this method, the university is creating an unequal playing field in which students from disadvantaged backgrounds wouldn’t be treated fairly,”

As several people leave their books back in Delhi, international students meet with other unavoidable circumstances. Nouresha, a student of Kamala Nehru College and a native of Mauritius feels paranoid about the future, “I came to my friend’s place in Haryana during the mid-semester break and got stuck here because of the lockdown. There’s barely internet connection here for me to talk to my parents back home. And maybe at the beginning of May, my country is going to airlift all the Mauritian students in India. And once back home, we’ll be in quarantine for I don’t know how many days.”

Kashmiri students remain in the dark regarding online examinations. Students with bare minimum internet connectivity, People with Disabilities (PwD) and a whole lot of students from disadvantaged backgrounds may be left out in case the University conducts examinations online. 

Feature Image Credits: Delhi University Website

Anandi Sen

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In consequence to the incident that took place in the premises of the University of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), the students of the Institute on 13th January 2019 surrounded the Vice Chancellor (VC), Najma Akhtar’s office.

With a demand to launch an FIR in response to the recent violent clashes caused by the Delhi Police, students came together singing slogans and carrying posters around the VC’s residence and office. The protestors also demanded a delay in their examinations which Akhtar, after consultations with the Deans, Head of Departments, and other officials, accepted and announced the new schedule regarding the examinations to be declared later.

Faizan Salik, a Student of JMI said “‘There was a sense of insecurity among students after the incidents that happened a month back, the students wanted the Vice Chancellor to encounter them and affirm them about their security, they further wanted a reschedule of examination as many departments felt that their schedule could have been along with others and not with gaps which would stop them to come together. “

The Vice Chancellor assured the students of the University following all the possible steps for the registration of the FIR, she further told that apart from writing letters to joint CP southern range and DCP crime for the registration of FIR the institution has also given a complaint to the SHO Jamia Nagar along with its photocopies sent to CP Delhi and DCP South East.

As per Ahmed Azeem, PRO media coordinator NHC has already started the enquiry and has visited the institution. Also, another team is scheduled to come to record the statements of the victim students to investigate the matters in detail. In further interaction with the students the VC said,”Delhi Police is not registering an FIR. They entered the campus without our permission and we have submitted our report with the government.” 

The entire interaction, though noisy proceeded with peace and satisfaction of the protesting students.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Jamia Review

Kriti Gupta 

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On 31st July, over 100 students of Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ) staged a protest outside the Vice Chancellor lounge. The students were protesting against the frivolous action and discriminatory treatment of Prakash Ranjan, who is one of the Journalism students in his third-year.

The students who participated in the protest expressed their solidarity with him and raised many key contentious issues. Ranjan was framed in a fake Unfair Means (UFM) case. He is not the first student to be framed in such a manner and the same has happened previously also, reads the WhatsApp text message that was circulated.

It was alleged that he tried to manhandle and abuse the teacher during an examination. However, as per the message, it was a simple argument which turned into a serious UFM case. The complaint filed by Ranjan against the concerned teacher has also been ignored.

Prakash Ranjan said, “I was simply asking for a pen around 8:45 a.m. when the exam had not even started. It was at this time that I got picked on by the teacher who made some derogatory remarks.”

According to Suman Shekhar, one of the classmates of Prakash, the teacher was downright obnoxious and derogatory. When they approached him, he abused and mocked them and said, “Agar voh yahan sey chooth gaya, tab bhi mein usko tangwa dunga.” (Even if he is relieved in this case, still I will teach him a lesson).
To Mohammed Ali, who is another classmate, he was not only derogatory but also communal and was quoted to have said, “Ali tumhari bhi bali hogi.” (Ali, even you will be sacrificed).

There is a delay in the enquiry of Ranjan’s complaint letter. Due to this, his attendance is not being recorded and his result has been withheld. If the enquiry is delayed further he won’t be able to approach the courts for a fair trial and his case will be dismissed as immature.
However, Ranjan has filed a Right To Information complaint to get the copy of his case and is adamant to go to court even if the decision turns out to be against his favour. He further said, “I am falsely implicated in this case by Manishvini Yogi as I am an activist. A simple act of asking for a pen has been turned into a grave UFM case which can have severe consequences but I am not deterred as I will seek proper legal actions.”

According to the sources, several other students have alleged that they were targeted in the fourth exam and also being singled out due to their participation in the protest. They were allegedly failed in internals despite submitting all their assignments. It was also noted that a student who received a zero in his  Media and Culture Studies internal assessment was reporting a fake caste allegation made by another faculty member on the teacher, who has resigned due to unfair appointments.

Last year, students protested against the lack of basic amenities in DSJ. They went on a hunger strike and were able to procure basic infrastructure and facilities. Some students also got a hostel seat and everyone can now avail a bus pass.

The students further demand a centralised evaluation and external invigilation during examinations to ensure complete fairness.

 

Feature Image Credits: Delhi School of Journalism

 

Antriksha Pathania
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Utilize the preparatory time before exams by being efficient and saving up on the time and anxiety.

As the exam clock approaches, the perpetual fear of completing the syllabus remains on the forefront of our brains. We give you some of the tips on how to be efficient during the exam season. Here is a guide to smart studying:

  • Find your go-to method

Find a method of studying which really makes an impact on you. Remember, not everyone has the same study routine. Things strike everyone in a different manner. Some of us may prefer textual reading; others may prefer learning a concept by graphics or simplified layman terms. At the end of the day, understanding and assimilating the information is important. So, find out what type of studying method suits you the best and work towards it.

  • Finding out the utility hours

Of course, for every one of us, there is a specific time of the day when we are the most efficient. Some of us may be nocturnal owls of the night, while others may be early birds. Find out the time of the day wherein your concentration power is at its maximum and use it to your advantage.

  • Invest in making good notes

Of course, note making is something you should put a firm hand on while studying for your exams. Your notes shouldn’t be bulky, that reading them won’t reap any desired rewards. Make use of small sentences, pointers or even keywords. Notes should always contain trivial and compressed information. For bulky matters, you always have your reading to gauge eyes at.

  • Make use of tables, flowcharts for understanding concepts

Making flowcharts or simple diagrams may make understanding a concept of a point easier, than reading or writing it out in a sentence. The human brain responds better to graphical information. Focusing on one particular mental image or experience can create a model one can refer to when trying to understand later on.

  • Use different colours for highlighting different things

Don’t waste a lot of your time and energy thinking about colour combinations, but a simple use of highlighters or a coloured pen, to mark out important things in your notes or texts makes it easier for revision. You know which part requires a lot of attention when skimming the night before your exams.

  • Multi-tasking is a sin

Let’s leave the task of multi-tasking to robots for now. If you have planned to study, shut your mobile phones and other gizmos, which might prove to be a distraction. Remember, smart study requires your concentration to be maximum. Hence, refrain from the urge of using phones while studying.

  • Write your notes via hand

While saving notes on your laptops may prove to be convenient, but written notes are always a big help. In this manner, you go through the matter at least twice, when writing it up for the first time. It lets you analyze which part is more important and which can be skipped, thereby increasing your tendency to process and reframe the information.

  • Do not skim through everything

Having a lot of notes is always helpful, but when you have plenty of them, you tend to skim through all of them. Remember, every person’s understanding of a topic is subjective. Reading from multiple sources will leave you more confused than sorted. So stick to keynotes which have all the required information and reliability.

  • Prepare a schedule for each day

Instead of just spending the entire day focusing on one subject, tackle at least two or three subjects. It gets you rid of the monotonous reading and also increases your efficiency.

  • Take frequent breaks and a good diet

Ariga & Lleras, 2011in their study mentioned that taking regular study breaks enhances overall productivity and improves focus. Take a 5-10 minute break every 40-50 minutes of studying. It can involve walking around your room or listening to songs or just deep breathing. Studying for long hours on a stretch isn’t ideal.

Keep yourself hydrated during exams and understand the body’s requirements. Try to eat as healthy as possible, have a lot of nuts and brain foods, to nourish it. Since your caffeine consumption increases a lot during exam, ensure you have sufficient water to not cause dehydration.

  • Have a good night’s sleep

Lastly, have at least a six-hour sleep each night. Pulling all-nighters is not a healthy option. Sleep experts state that learning or practicing difficult material before sleep makes it easier to recall it the next day. So arrange your schedule in such a way that you study the hardest topic before you sleep.

So have good food, good mood and zeal and sail through your exams, following these tips!

 

Feature Image credits: green springs school

Avnika Chhikara
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The qualifying chemistry examination held for the master’s programme has come under scrutiny for breach of secrecy. Students suspect malicious intent by the Head of the Department.

The question under attack

In the inorganic chemistry examination, students of semester IV in the varsity’s M.Sc. (Chemistry) course were asked a 10-mark question — Write a brief note about the presentation assigned to you in class.”

This question became problematic as each student had prepared a unique presentation and answer sheets for semester-end papers that are checked internally.

Students incriminate HOD

During the month of March, students and teachers alleged Prof. Ramesh Chandra, the head of the department, to have sexually harassed them. This led to a protest by the students, and a student in a statement to The Indian Express said, “We have already been threatened once — that we will be failed for protesting. Now this question intends to victimise us when we are in the last year of our masters’ degree. We had written to the examination department but nothing happened.”

Alarmed, a total number of 118 students had raised a complaint to the Dean of Examinations asking them to bar a few professors suspected to err in an unbiased marking scheme. Their request was ignored and the examination was held on May 9, regardless.

Ramesh Chandra’s response

In response to the alleged bias, Prof. Ramesh Chandra told The Indian Express, “Questions are set by teachers in the department and evaluated by them, so writing about the project is not going to cost students anything. They protested against the issue but that issue is over. Why would I want to identify them? Everything is done as per merit and a select few are politicising the issue.”

University policy to prevent bias

The varsity has set norms and procedures to prevent any bias from either side of the examination by removing identifiable aspects such as name and internally assigned roll number from answer sheets before they are sent for evaluation.

According to Ordinance X-A, “deliberately disclosing one’s identity or making any distinctive mark in the answer book for that purpose.” is considered as unfair and dishonest means. The applicability of said ordinance to the question in scrutiny and its consequence remains unclear.

Feature Image Credits: Dept. of Chemistry, DU

Raabiya

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With less than 2 weeks to go to DU’s Joint Admission Test (JAT), it becomes important, more than ever before, to plan a strategy to maximise your score. Many opt for coaching classes for this guidance, but it isn’t entirely impossible to crack these exams without coaching as well. Here is the key to scoring well in this notorious exam.

Around 40,000 students all over India appear for the DU JAT exam annually for merely 1400 seats in the three professional courses in University of Delhi (DU) colleges.

The cut-off of the entrance exam to proceed to the interview round in 2016 was 164 marks, and for 2017, a student had to score 230 above to gain admission in DU’s SSCBS.

  • Quantitative Ability

In the 2016 and 2017 JAT exams, maths of the 10+2 level was given considerable weightage. Topics like AP, GP, trigonometry, and algebra were abundant in the 2016 paper. Areas like Time-Speed-Distance, and Time and Work are also observed but the trend towards them has been discouraging. It is highly recommended to make educated guesses using the options, but if you’re not too sure and not confident in your accuracy, remember that the trade-off would be with 1 mark.

  • Current Awarness + Business Awareness

Do not indulge into the myth of coaching centres helping you improve your general knowledge. The probability of those general knowledge (GK) questions, as told in the said coaching, coming in the exam is very little as there is simply too much to remember. It is better to keep a track of the happeinings in the world. (as unwelcoming as this sounds, it is necessary. Sites like indiabix.com are very helpful aids.) Static GK questions do not enjoy a favourable position anymore unlike the past years. Business Awareness, on the other hand, has always appeared without fail. For the same, you could start off with memorising the taglines of important conglomerates and their founders and CEOs. Keeping up-to-date with mergers and acquisitions in the news front always helps!

  • Logical Reasoning

This is the most scoring and easy to attempt part. Out of 30 questions, be sure to attempt a minimum of 21 questions from this section, and the number should only increase in proportion to the level of easiness of the exam. Venn diagrams, distribution of data, and cubes and dices are definite questions that can be expected and are easy to attempt at the same time.

  • Verbal Ability

This section tends to be on the easier side but can be tough for those who are insecure of their verbal skills. Practicing reading comprehension under time restrictions can help improve speed. Vocabulary cannot be mugged up in such a short span of time, but skimming through past year papers can help you know what to expect.

 

Practice material for the maths and logical reasoning portions are readily available on the Internet. It cannot be reiterated enough, that students who are susceptible to getting stuck in questions should consciously avoid attempting the difficult ones.

It is also important to acknowledge that exam patterns are subject to continuous change and so is the criterion of admission prone to last-minute modifications. Over the last five years, DU has continually experimented with the parameters to assign a student his/her rank. In 2016, no weightage was given to board marks, and GDPI had a cumulative worth of 15%. In 2017, GDPI was discarded and board marks were reintroduced with 35% weightage.

Enrolling for coaching definitely helps, but it doesn’t guarantee you a seat, and the vice-versa also stands true. Now is the time to study hard and smart, and to plan for the remainder of your time well. Good luck!

 

Feature Image Credits: India T.V

Vijeata Balani
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Students of University of Delhi (DU)  are well equipped to deal with the smaller version of end semester exams, but many a times, internal assessment examinations take a toll on our daily routine and social life, due to which, better time management is required.

There comes a time when a student’s schedule becomes packed with only assignments to be submitted, project presentations, and tests lined up back to back no matter how hard they try to negotiate with teachers to shift the dates. In even semesters, the crowding up of internal assessments drains the frolic and euphoria out of the fest season, when one has to compromise on their social life and devote time to complete the mundane assignments and projects.

To deal with the internals in a more comprehensive way, the realisation of the fact that internals definitely contribute in our exam grade point, but do not encompass the entirety of it is important. The end term examinations actually play the most significant part in the final grade point.

However, every internal exam test or assignment adds to the preparation for the final exams. Recalling the renowned saying,” A stitch in time saves nine”, and understanding this simple fact that the burden of studies is reduced if at least a few portions of the syllabus is prepared beforehand, is important.  Doing the assigned project work with full sincerity and creativity adds to the critical understanding and analysis of the subject of study, and it also helps heed and further the interest of those who wish to pursue a career in academics.

The aforementioned advice is not unheard of. Mental preparation and recognition of what is required of one’s capabilities is imperative. Maintaining a healthy balance between our academics and social life in accordance with our sleep is also something that can help reduce stress and pressure that is caused due to these examinations. Studying for internal exams with proper time management surely adds to your knowledge bank and makes you better-armed to keep your sword ready for the final exams. Be smart, prioritise, and deal with them in a healthy way.

 

Feature Image Credits: Off-Campus Student Services

Oorja Tapan

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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”.