Ramjas holds exam in library, labs

DU colleges face space crunch as number of students has gone up with OBC quota

Ramjas College of Delhi University (DU) witnessed a massive space crunch on Friday, the day when around 2,500 students from 34 different courses were scheduled to give their exams.

According to exam superintendent Kumar Rahul, due to paucity of space, seating arrangements for the students were made in the college auditorium, library and all the laboratories.

“In the auditorium 350 students were accommodated, in the first floor of the library 170 students sat and the laboratories which are small in size had 30 to 40 students. We somehow managed. Additional benches were put for the students to use them as tables,” he said.

The number of students has increased in all DU colleges with the implementation of 27 per cent of Other Backward Classes quota. Under the expansion plan every college increased its seats by 27 per cent.

According to staff association members, the student strength has almost doubled with the inclusion of OBC quota. However, there has been no infrastructural development in a decade here.

“It is the University which makes the date sheet; they know exactly which college has what kind of infrastructure capacity. It’s not just Ramjas, several other colleges today were witnessing space crunch. In Ramjas at least we arranged place for the students, in some colleges the students were made to sit in the corridors,” said a member.

The teachers feel that the space crunch during exam days was witnessed as it was the first year of the semester system. “Teachers are opposing semester system because infrastructure is not up to the mark.

Even after the OBC expansion, this is the first times; so many colleges faced paucity of space during exams. DU officials have made a mockery of a prestigious University,” said SK Jha, president, staff association Ramjas College.
According to Rahul, another incorrect question paper was distributed on Friday. 

“In the Maths paper, instead of a question paper on Linear Algebra, another subject’s question paper came. The exam started half an hour late,” he said. However, a senior official said: “Arrangements were made for the students to take exams comfortably.”