DU Says Admission Will Be Based On 'Merit', Entrance Exam Not An Option Yet: What We Know
After the Centre announced the cancellation of the Class 12 CBSE Board examinations and at least some state governments expected to follow suit, Delhi University (DU) has said that it will adjust its admission process to the extraordinary situation without compromising on merit.
What changes for students?
Acting Vice-Chancellor PC Joshi of DU, one of the largest universities in the country, said, "This decision has been taken in view of the unprecedented Covid situation. We are with the Government of India. Our admission criteria will strictly be based on merit. We will honour the Board’s criterion."
"DU will not compromise on merit. We will adjust to the new situation and see what method is to be developed. We will wait and see what are the criterion that the boards come out for evaluation of students," he told PTI.?
Professor Rajeev Gupta, Chairperson-Admissions of DU, said, "The University of Delhi fully supports the decision taken by the Government of India to cancel the forthcoming CBSE board examinations in view of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The University of Delhi also feels that the health and safety of our students is of utmost importance. The University of Delhi looks forward to the decision of the CBSE regarding the declaration of the results."
What happened in pre-COVID times?
Nearly 98 per cent of the applicants to Delhi University are CBSE students. In normal circumstances, DU conducts undergraduate admissions to most courses through cut-offs which are calculated, to a large extent, on the basis of Class 12 marks.
Entrance tests are conducted too, for admissions to nine undergraduate courses. The tests are conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
What was DU's proposal earlier?
The university had earlier sent a proposal to the University Grants Commission (UGC), according to which 50 per cent weightage could be given to the Class 12 marks and the rest to a CUCET (Central Universities Common Entrance Test).Joshi, who is part of a committee set up by the Central government to consider a common entrance test for Central universities, had earlier said that under this formula, Class 12 marks could be calculated as percentiles instead of percentages.
However, with the current situation of the pandemic and the possibility of a third wave, DU officials said it was unlikely that CUCET would be implemented this year, and therefore, the CBSE criterion would be followed while declaring cut-offs.
