JOIN USIn 100th year, a controversy over '100'
The most sought after university in the city, Delhi University (DU) left everyone baffled when the qualifying marks to get admission in the undergraduate course touched 100 per cent in Sriram College of Commerce (SRCC).
The college fixed the cut-off for its B.Com (Honours) course at 100 percent for non-commerce aspirants. For BA Economics (Honours), the cut-off is 98.25 percent. A similar stratospheric cut-off list was announced by Miranda College.
Reacting to the high cut-offs, especially the 100 percent mark in the SRCC, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said: “This morning I got the news that the cut-off in one college is 100 percent. I felt very sad, especially for the parents and the children who work so hard and get 97 and 98 percent, and one college says that if you are in science stream unless you have 100 percent you will not get admission.”
Another major change which the varsity witnessed was introducing the semester system across all undergraduate courses from July 21. The system, implemented across 70 DU colleges that admitted more than 54,000 students to its UG courses this year, came with its share of troubles. Instances of problems in calculating attendance, finishing syllabus and tabulating internal assesment marks on the prescribed time and unsystematically applying of the system left students in a tizzy and teachers confused.
The semester system was introduced amidst high critisim by the teachers and students. The fake marks sheet scam in DU’s Ramjas College also came to light this year. The authorities blamed unprecedented rush during admission time that resulted in lack of proper screening of marks sheets. A few people involved in the racket have been arrested and investigations are on.
JNU surges
In Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), city's mecca for post-graduate courses, its Centre for English Studies was ranked amongst the top 100 English departments in the world in the QS World University Rankings (subject-wise ), 2011. Also, JNU's departments of geography and area studies, and politics and international studies found a place in the top 100 QS subject-wise rankings in 2011.
The famous students poll in JNU which were put on stay since the last four years, received the green signal from the Supreme Court (SC). The last elections to the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) were held in October 2007 and two days ahead of the 2008 elections the SC had stayed the process citing violations of Lyngdoh Committee's recommendations on students’ union elections.The much awaited student's election will be held next year in JNU.
This year a new collaborative progarmme was announced by the Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung of Jamia Milia Islamia in which four of India’s leading educational institutions DU, JNU, Jamia Milia Islamia and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have begun consultations on a new collaborative programme that will allow students to mix and match study modules these institutes offer, and create a flexible curriculum. Representatives from the four varsities held their first meeting in December to give shape to the country’s first ‘meta university’.
JNU VC S K Sopory said that the four universities are trying to provide students the best of choices and more courses. Existing rules prohibit students registered at one university from attending classes or courses offered at another, unless there are prior exchange arrangements.
Change of format
Two entrance tests underwent change in format. The Common Admission Test (CAT) taken by students aspiring to get into Indian Institute of Management (IIM's) and other management institutes featured two sections instead of three - the first focusing on quantitative ability and data interpretation and the second on verbal ability and logical reasoning with an additional five minutes in the total duration of the test.
The second alteration came in the entrance test format of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Changes in the score scales were made to the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures.