Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar Friday denied reports that Delhi University would switch to entrance-based admissions for all its undergraduate courses next year, and said admissions would be held “as usual”. He added that it was “not final yet” that Jawaharlal Nehru University would hold online entrance examinations next year in collaboration with the National Testing Agency (NTA). Javadekar was speaking to reporters at an event on the NTA “successful conducting” the University Grants Commission - National Eligibility Test exam. “There will be no entrance examinations in Delhi University. It will be as usual in 2019-20, meaning based on marks secured in class 12,” Javadekar told reporters. Asked by The Indian Express if there was any plan to shift to an entrance-based system from next year, DU Admissions Committee Chairperson M K Pandit also said, “None whatsoever as far as I know.” DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi did not respond to calls and messages by The Indian Express. Meanwhile, JNU had on December 7 said in a press release: “The Vice Chancellor informed the members of the (Academic) Council that the NTA has agreed to conduct the Computer-based JNU Entrance Examinations.” On Friday, when asked by reporters about JNU holding online entrance exams, Javadekar said, “This hasn’t been decided.” When told that the university has made the announcement on its website about tying up with the NTA, he said, “They (JNU) have decided, but they’re still in talks with the NTA. It’s not final yet.” Reacting to Javadekar’s comments, JNU Rector I Chintamani Mahapatra said, “The minister is right that the agreement is in process. We have already spoken to them (NTA) and they have agreed. It’s all in the pipeline, it will be done. He (Javadekar) didn’t say that nothing is going to happen.”
