DU clueless about separate cut-offs

mission ADMISSION

It’s the last day of form submission for four year undergraduate programme (FYUP) in Delhi University and the day when first cut-off will be released is round the corner - June 27. 

There are changes galore for every admission aspirant especially those in the reserved category which includes SC/ST/OBC and persons with disabilities (PWD). 

Though the university has introduced separate forms for SC/ST/PWD and general/OBC, the colleges have no past experience for preparing the cut-offs for the SC/ST and PWD admission. “There is still a lot of confusion about how to release the separate cut-offs for SC/ST and OBC,” informs Rajendra Prasad, principle of the Ramjas College.

One can imagine the level of confusion among students when the principal is clueless himself.

Separate forms for colleges Vikas Kumar, a student with visual impairment says, “When I filled up the form, the volunteer told me that this year rules and regulations have changed. They asked me to fill up the form and later when the cut-offs are released, I will have to fill up forms for different colleges. I have no idea about of the cut-off for students like me.”

Why is still so much confusion even at a time when the cut off dates are drawing close. Notably, colleges under Delhi University will issue six different cut-offs for the following groups - three groups within physical disability (PWD) section, one for SC (Scheduled Caste)/ ST (Scheduled Tribes), one for OBC (Other Backward Classes) and one for general category. For the first time, colleges will issue cut-offs for the first two categories.

Interestingly, in terms of cut off for general category there has been hardly any change. However, separate admission guidelines will be issued by the Equal Opportunity Cell for the PWD category.

There will be separate cut-off list for each of the 3 different categories of PWD. The categories will be divided as per- Hearing-impairment and locomotor disabilities, visual-impairment and other disabilities.

This year, applicants can only select their choice of courses but not their choice of colleges while applying. “Earlier the whole process used to be very unfair for theses category students, and there was no question of choice regarding their course or college.

 Rather it was decided by the central cell in the university which randomly allotted students to whichever course or college it felt like,” Sujeet Kumar, a research scholar in Delhi University and member of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS).

“Until last year, most often the SC/ST students were usually allotted a course he or she did not wanted to join and it gradually becomes quite predictable for them to fare badly and eventually they give up the course,” he says.

Sujeet points out the drawback of the new system and says, “Certain colleges are strongly against reservation. So, they will take the best of SC/ST and OBC students in their colleges which means they will go for creamy layer leaving no scope for others who have not got good marks.”