New Delhi: With over 38,000 students scoring above 95% and nearly 1.6 lakh of students scoring over 90% on the Class 12 exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education this year, places are running low at the Universities of the University of Delhi. This, on Friday, prompted Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to write to the union’s education minister for an amendment to the Delhi University Law, so that more DU universities can be opened.
‘No new university has been opened under DU in over 30 years’
In the letter to Ramesh Pokhriyal, Kejriwal demanded that Section 5 (2) of the Delhi University Act of 1922 be abolished so that new colleges and universities could be opened in Delhi. He said that under this law, the membership rules made by the British restricted the opening of new universities.
Explaining the subject in more detail, Kejriwal wrote that the University of Delhi has 91 affiliated faculties, but in the past 30 years it has not opened a new university because it has already exceeded its capacity. “For this same reason, as established in this Act under Section 5 (2), a new affiliated university or college cannot be established. It was amended in 1998 and allowed the IP University to affiliate. IP University was launched to offer professional courses only and not regular courses like BA, BSc. But now IP also has 127 affiliated schools, and it has also exceeded its capacity, “he added.
“Only about half of the 2.5 lakh students who pass Class 12 get admission in Delhi”
The prime minister said that despite obtaining high marks, many students were unable to secure a seat at the University of Delhi. Students are facing a difficult time enrolling in colleges due to high cut-off grades, he said, asking, “With the limits hitting 100%, what will happen to students who get 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%? “
He also noted that every year Delhi has around 2.50,000 students fainting from school, but only around 1.25,000 of them will make it into Delhi-based universities. “If we speak numerically, it means that 2 students are fighting for 1 seat, leading to fierce competition. Leaving behind the other 1.25 lakh students with no resources. This means that the universities in Delhi can only accommodate 50% of the students. Where will the other 50% go? “
In view of this problem, Kejriwal said: “Therefore, it is necessary to establish more universities and colleges in Delhi to effectively solve this problem for our students. The Delhi government is willing to invest, however it faces a legal impediment. “
“The high limits are not the fault of the students, but of the governments”
Defending the right of students to be admitted, he wrote: “Students trying to get into universities face problems, given the 100% limits. Students below that mark are also entitled to a quality higher education. High limits are not the students’ fault, it is our fault. “
The prime minister said that it was due to the lack of previous Delhi governments and central governments that there was a shortage of universities and colleges in Delhi compared to the increasing number of students. “Since Delhi is the capital of the nation, it should have kept pace with the growing number of students. However, there is a great imbalance in the relationship between the number of universities and the number of students. “
Students who scored over 90% increased dramatically this year
This year’s problem appears to have been exacerbated by the high marks CBSE gave Class 12 students. A look at the data reveals that students scoring 95% above increased from 17,693 in 2019 to 38,686 this year. year. Similarly, the number of students scoring over 90% also increased from roughly 94,000 in 2019 to nearly 1.6 lakh this year.
Since the University of Delhi is a central university, students from all over the country have the right to apply for admission here and that is why the limits have been drastically increased.
Kejriwal hoped the Center would address the problem quickly. “I am hopeful that the central government will definitely reflect on this and definitely alter this law to meet the needs of the moment. I think the stressor is increasing in students because of this system. If there will be limits of up to 100%, where will students go? This requires taking a step in this direction to end this once and for all for the sake of the future of our students, ”he said.
.
