For the third consecutive year, the undergraduate admission process in central universities is set to be delayed due to the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), if the National Testing Agency (NTA) fails to declare the results today. The prolonged wait among students, parents, and teachers to commence the new academic session continues.
Delhi University (DU) and other central universities in the national capital have barely recovered from three years of a ‘staggered academic calendar,’ starting from the COVID-19 period when the current crisis was thrust upon stakeholders. The DU professors have expressed their frustration over the delayed results. The Democratic Teachers Front stated, “The pandemic period was beyond human control, but the current crisis is man-made: a consequence of utter apathy and incompetence of the Ministry of Education and its minion, the NTA.”
With just ten more days left in July, universities have not been notified about the academic calendar for semesters I/II, particularly the first year in undergraduate programs, due to the ongoing NTA fiasco. In 2022-23, when CUET was first introduced in DU for UG admission, classes for semester 1 began in November because the Ministry of Education could not conduct CUET on time.
Last year, in 2023-24, despite CUET being conducted early, the academic calendar began on August 16, three weeks later than scheduled due to delays in result declaration. “And this year, there is no sight of admission happening in the near future since the very process of CUET is under scanner, thanks to the NTA,” said one of the DU College professors.
Universities adjust schedules to cope with result delay
The last week of July has been challenging for universities as students and teachers pressured them to decide the admission process for undergraduate classes without waiting for the CUET results. Consequently, universities made certain amendments to the academic session 2024-25.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the University of Delhi (DU) have planned to conduct weekend classes and shorten winter breaks to adjust the academic calendar for the academic year 2024-25. This follows the delay in the announcement of the CUET UG results, which would further delay the academic year of these universities.
According to a senior JNU official, the delay in result declaration will jeopardise the university’s capacity to provide a single academic schedule for all student batches. The institution may need to schedule more Saturday classes and possibly reduce the winter break to make up for lost time and finish the syllabus. “JNU had planned to release a unified academic calendar for all the batches from this year onwards to bring symmetry in the admission process. The practice was discontinued due to the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Things will become clear once the result dates are announced,” the official said.
Delhi University (DU) Registrar Vikas Gupta stated that the delay would cause the academic calendar of first-year students to end at a later date than scheduled. Ambedkar University, according to Vice-Chancellor Anu Singh Lather, plans to hold extra classes for first-year students after regular classes, reduce the number of holidays, and implement a delay of two weeks.
On the other hand, IP University Vice-Chancellor Mahesh Verma explained, “We take admissions through national-level entrance tests for professional courses. We also have our own in-house entrance examination. After admissions through these mediums are completed, we fill the remaining seats through CUET. By that time, the CUET scores would be out, so our admissions wouldn’t be affected.”
Jamia Millia Islamia University has partially adopted the CUET system, utilising the scores for admission to 15 undergraduate courses and five master’s programmes. After JNU and DU, Jamia Millia Islamia University held a meeting last week to decide the undergraduate admission process since the CUET results have been delayed.
However, Mohammad Shakeel, Officiating Vice Chancellor, said, “The University Deans have categorically decided that even when the CUET results are delayed, the academic calendar and the semester calendar of the Varsity will not be delayed and it will go as per the scheduled dates.”
He further said, “There might be a slight delay in the admissions since the CUET results will be out most likely by the end of July or the first week of August and accordingly we will begin the admission process. Our academic calendar will not be influenced by the delayed results. Our exams and our results will also remain unaffected.”
Aspirants express frustration, uncertainty
One of the aspirants, Ranjana Garg, mentioned that she wanted to pursue a BA (Hons) in German from JNU but is now reconsidering her choice. “I am in a major confusion if I should actually go ahead with JNU’s course because I won’t get any advantage on the weekends. How will I utilise my time on other skill courses I wish to pursue? I believe attending classes can never help us finish our syllabus. We need some time for self-study as well. If there will be no weekends, shorter winter break etc., how are we expected to function as a student?” Ranjana said.
Meanwhile, another UG aspirant of Jamia, Hammad Ali, said, “This CUET results wait has left us all in a lurch. We are forced to row in two boats together. How do we make sure that we will not lose a seat here if we continue to wait, and if we apply in some other private university where the session is about to begin, then we’ll end up paying hefty fees.”
Professors rue disrupted schedule
A large section of the DU professors have demanded a withdrawal of the changes made to the academic calendar. Dr Monami Sinha, Associate Professor of Kamla Nehru College, said, “Due to a staggered academic calendar, the college teacher is taking classes, doing invigilation, and evaluating scripts at the same time. The staggered calendar virtually requires us to be at three places, physically, at the same time.”
She adds, “Quality of teaching is taking a hit, campus life is taking a hit, schedules have become a mess, and college activities like conducting seminars and festivals have become very difficult. Moreover, vacation time, which is crucial for teachers to evaluate scripts, do their own research work, or attend faculty development programmes, has been taken away. The whole mess, which has been created by the NTA and the ad-hoc decision making of the University, could have been borne if this was only limited to the first year of CUET, but this has become a regular feature and this is the third year of a completely botched up academic calendar.”
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Teachers’ Front (SDTF), taking up this issue, stated, “We demand that the University look into these serious issues and reclaim its calendar instead of leaving it to the uncertainties of an inefficient agency like NTA, which even after three years has been unable to clean up its act.”
Echoing similar opinions, Rudrashish Chakraborty, associate professor of Kirorimal College, stated, “Many parents (including teachers at DU itself) have got their children admitted in private universities because of the current uncertainty in UG admissions. The inability of the DU administration to come out with an academic calendar for the first year has confirmed the apprehensions of the teachers, the parents, and the students: that UG admission has been inordinately delayed, thus jeopardising the lives and academic careers of students.”.
“It’s clear that while DU has maintained its admission policy autonomy by adopting the CUET, it has severely disrupted its academic calendar, impacting students, teachers, and parents. The University of Delhi was not only famous for its prestigious courses but also for its strict adherence to its academic schedule, which attracted students nationwide for undergraduate studies. However, with the implementation of incomplete and poorly designed policies like NEP and CUET, the University has undermined its policy-making autonomy and has fallen into a state of policy paralysis imposed by the Government and the Ministry of Education,” adds Chakraborty
Parents concerned over admission delay
Parents across the country are expressing their deep anxiety and concern over the delay in CUET UG results. The uncertainty is causing significant stress and financial strain as they navigate the challenging landscape of higher education admissions. Their heartfelt pleas highlight the urgent need for a timely and transparent resolution to this ongoing issue. One of the parents, Vijay Anand from Mayur Vihar Phase II, said, “The delay in CUET UG results is forcing students to scramble for private universities. This puts a huge financial burden on families who are counting on public options. We urge the authorities to release the results as soon as possible and ensure a fair and transparent admission process.”
Another parent expressed frustration, saying, “It’s frustrating how the delay of exam results seems to be swept under the rug. Just like the #NeetUG, #NeetPG, #UGCNet, and many more papers, the CUET UG paper also got leaked and cancelled. Yet, no one is addressing the impact on students eagerly awaiting their results. Our younger siblings are suffering as they anxiously wait for their dream college admissions, but the registration portals are closing without any news on the results. It’s time to stand up for our siblings and demand answers.”
Similarly, another parent, Shashi, took to social media and posted, “This has been the major stress for our family—firstly the exam, then the wait for the results, and then another wait to apply for the college and then wait for the college to approve the merit list. When will the academic session begin? When will the students get to see the college?”