DU’s Cut-off reflects a broken system

EDUCATION / GOVERNANCE

Topic: General Studies 2:

• Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources 
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

DU’s Cut-off reflects a broken system

Context: Delhi University (DU)’s first cut-off list for admission to its undergraduate programmes was announced on October 10, and it touched the 100% ceiling for the first time since 2011. 

Cut-offs are decided by calculating the best of four subjects’ marks in Class 12 board exams

For Example: The Lady Sri Ram (LSR) College of DU has pegged the cut off at 100 % for three undergraduate programmes—Psychology (Hons), Economics (Hons), and Political Science (Hons)

Do You Know?

• As many as 5,500 students out of 3.54 lakh students, who have applied for admission in Delhi University, have scored perfect 100% in their four best subjects. 
• This is not the first time when the cut off for admission in Delhi University has gone up to reach 100%. In 2015, the College of Vocational Studies and Indraprastha College had also kept the cut off at 100 % for admission to Computer Science.

What explains the high cut-offs?

• One, there is a higher number of applications vis-a-vis the number of seats.
• Two, the Class 12 evaluation process is distorted, leading to such high marks
• Three, colleges set high cut-offs to prevent “over admissions”. 
• Four, there is a paucity of good-quality public universities. 
• And finally, students are attracted to Delhi due to its academic and physical infrastructure, extra-curricular activities, and scholarships; the opportunity to interact with a diverse student population; and eventually access better job opportunities

What does the Phenomenon of High Cut-offs indicate?

• The phenomenon of high cut-offs is not just an academic-administrative problem.
• It is a subset of more critical issues that ail the education system, and the lack of democratisation of resources. 

Way Ahead

• To improve, the Centre and states must invest more in public education; 
• Need to boost academic infrastructure across the country; 
• Governments have to make the Class 12 evaluation process more holistic; 
• Administration has to ensure that all students, irrespective of where they are studying, get a level-playing field when it comes to availing good teachers and infrastructure.

Connecting the dots:

• New Education policy 2020
• Right to Education Act