NEW DELHI: As the sixth week of the semester unfolds, the Delhi University has announced yet another mop-up round of undergraduate admissions, raising serious questions about the integrity and efficiency of the admission process. This latest development has left students, faculty, and education experts alarmed, as there is no clarity on how newly admitted students will cope with the loss of six weeks of teaching in a semester that spans just 14 weeks.
Critics argue that neither the University administration nor the newly elected Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) leadership has addressed the serious disruptions caused by this ad hoc approach to admissions. Instead, the process appears to reflect a growing disinterest in the core mission of teaching and learning within public higher education institutions.
A senior professor, Mithuraaj Dhusiya, condemned the entire admission mechanism, calling it “a sure recipe for destroying public-funded institutions of higher learning in India.” According to him, “What began as a crisis of misgovernance in state universities—marked by delays in admissions, examinations, results, and issuance of degrees—has now spread to central universities like DU, which were once centers of academic excellence.”
Adding to the controversy, another academic pointed out glaring inconsistencies in the admission criteria. “Why should the final mop-up round of CUET (Common University Entrance Test) admissions be based solely on Class 12 marks, while earlier rounds were governed by CUET scores?” the professor asked. “This reflects a complete lack of standardization and fairness in the process.”
Further concerns were raised over DU’s decision to delegate the creation of merit lists in the mop-up round to individual Teachers-in-Charge (TiCs) of colleges. “Are TiCs supposed to act as clerks in this flawed process?” the professor remarked.
Trends highlighted by the University professors
Numerous seats remain vacant across several colleges, indicating that CUET has failed to attract sufficient eligible candidates.
Conversely, many other colleges have resorted to over-admissions, exposing the failure of the CSAS (Central Seat Allocation System) to manage the process effectively.
This systemic failure, critics argue, not only undermines meritocracy but also weakens the academic rigor of higher education in India.
As students await further developments, the academic community continues to call for a review and overhaul of the admission framework, emphasising the need for transparency, consistency, and a focus on academic quality rather than administrative expediency.