High cut-off relief, coaching culture fear: Mixed response to entrance-based DU admissions

DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh said that there will be no weightage for class 12 marks in the process.

The decision has gained varied responses from both students as well as teachers. While some believe that the new policy will give candidates a chance to prove his/ her genuine interest and aptitude for the course of choice, others point out that it will encourage students to focus more on the selective study of some subjects considered vital for higher studies, thus impacting the overall performance.

Abhay Hari, a class 12 commerce student of Jingle Bells Public School Bareilly said, “DU cut-off has always been higher than anyone can ever imagine. Now with the entrance exam being introduced for admissions, it is rather a breather for us students who are not scoring beyond 90 per cent in their boards but are good in their respective specialized subjects. It also rather increases the chances of our selection in the prestigious institution.” 

However, Khushi Gupta, a class 12 student from Delhi said that although the entrance exam system will give equal opportunities to all, it will create an additional burden on the students to prepare for the entrance exams. 

“Students who aren’t able to score high in board exams will not be affected negatively by board results. But those who don’t want a gap year and want to prepare for the entrance exam along with class 12 may have to efficiently manage time in preparing for the entrance exam. Proper time management will be required to manage both the preparation plans simultaneously,” she said. 

Anshu Mittal, Principal, MRG School, Delhi is satisfied with the decision on entrance exams from next year. “An entrance exam analysis would be based on analytical, logical and conceptual knowledge of students not only on the subjective knowledge. The online learning gaps in the students could be easily judged by the entrance examination. It will not create an additional burden to students but will prepare the students for the future prospective growth and career where all the heights depend on the entrance,” she said. 

While the entrance exam preparation is a major concern among the students, it is also being argued that the new policy might encourage coaching culture.

Sangeeta Hajela, Principal, DPS Indirapuram believes that the tuition industry would reap the advantage of giving the last-minute crash courses to help one crack these entrances. 

“It is surely going to be stressful for students who would now apply in multiple courses, out of sheer indecision or on the uncertainty about what would be available for them to choose from. One can foresee a student preparing for English entrance on one day; and Economics or Mathematics or any other, thereafter. The course versus college issue would be complicated further,” she further explained.

Gautam Rathi, a class 12 humanities student from Ambala is worried about the non-clarity on the entrance exam pattern and syllabus yet. 

“Since the MCQ-based board exams itself was a new introduction in the curriculum, the added pressure of entrance exams will not sit well with many students. It is still not clear on what pattern the exam will be based on. Hence, a little time will be left to understand and prepare for the entrance exam. Like JEE and NEET aspirants, now students of humanities and commerce will also rush for coaching classes to crack this exam,” he said. 

Sunita Ganguly, a parent of a 17-year old argues that the timing of the decision to introduce the entrance exam is unsuitable considering that the pandemic and online classes themselves have added to the burden of students. “While our children are still getting familiar with the MCQ-based board exam, the adversity of preparing for the entrance tests will put additional stress on their minds,” she pointed out.