DU Academic Council approves admission to undergraduate courses solely based on CUET score

The Academic Council of the Delhi University on Tuesday paved the way for admission to undergraduate courses solely on the basis of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) score from the 2022-23 academic session.

The Delhi University had already said it would do away with the cut-off system of admission.

UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar on Monday said that the CUET would be compulsory for admission to undergraduate courses at all 45 central universities and not the Class 12 scores.

However, universities have the flexibility to have minimum eligibility criteria of marks for admission.

Some members of the DU Academic Council gave a dissent note saying that the admission through CUET will make the terrain ”even more unequal”. The members also said that the desirability and feasibility of CUET remains unknown.

As DU gives admission to over 70,000 students, the admission procedure should not be changed in a rushed manner, they said.

”Such a filter will result in an additional expenditure for parents and students towards coaching and therefore, marginalises those coming from disadvantageous backgrounds,” read the dissent note.

Common University Entrance Test to be held for admission to UG programs in all UGC-funded varsities (www.eduvast.com)

The minimum Class 12 board exam marks to take CUET will be the passing marks. The Standing Committee of the Academic Council, in its meeting on March 17, had recommended that the admission to the university be solely based on CUET scores. The recommendations were approved in the AC meeting on Tuesday.

According to the dissenting members, the admission to undergraduate courses through an entrance test will mean complete erosion of Classes 11 and 12.

”A central exam and its syllabus will wipe out importance of local initiatives and importance of formative assessment. A total disregard of continuous performance of students in their most important year of study will be disastrous. By granting admission through CUET will mean total disregard for lab-work associated with disciplines,” they said in the note.

They also expressed the fear that many students might end up with same score after CUET.

”In imposing a new system starting from 2022-23, we are ignoring the fact that the current batch of Class 12 was forced to study online and may be finding it difficult to cope with the stress already. This change is too sudden and too huge for them,” they said.

In the note they also said that the new system will curtail autonomy of institutions to respond to ground realities.

Citing the instance of Science courses, they said sometimes the dropout rate is as much as 30 per cent within a year as students shift to technical courses or decide to prepare for them again.

”Cut-offs are decided so as to have desired over-admission to ensure that seats do not go empty at any cost within a few months of admission closure. This helps institutions to give chance to more students who would otherwise miss admission even as seats fall vacant little later and retain teachers as employment of teachers is on the basis of sanctioned strength or actual — whichever is less. It is important to discuss if the new system will provide such flexibility to institutions,” they said.

Under the approved guidelines by DU, a candidate must appear in CUET in only those subjects in which they have cleared Class 12.

In case, the subject studied in Class 12 is not mentioned in CUET, candidates will have to appear in the subject that is similar or closely related to the subject they have studied in Class 12.

”Merit will be calculated on the basis of combination of subjects in which a candidate has appeared in CUET as mentioned in the programme-specific eligibility,” according to the approved guidelines.

The approved rules also state that admission to minority colleges like St Stephen’s and Jesus and Mary will also be done through CUET.

During counselling, separate merit lists will be generated for unreserved and minority candidates as per the reservation policy for these colleges.

The Academic Council also approved the starting of 10 new courses by the Faculty of Open Learning that comprise five bachelor’s courses, three diploma courses and two master’s courses in online mode. The AC, however, rejected the proposal of starting of various PhD programmes in online mode saying that it won’t be feasible.

The AC also approved the recommendations of the Standing Committee to start admission to College of Art (CoA).

The Delhi University was informed that the office of the Lieutenant Governor has in-principle approved the merger of College of Art (CoA), subject to its de-affiliation from the university. The DU has not given its nod to the de-affiliation yet.