New Delhi In 2011, when the Delhi University admission cut-off percentage for under graduate courses reached 100%, the then worried Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that he is worried over the high marks required for admissions to colleges in the national capital. "Worry? I'm terrified for my sons because in five years, when Zamir (Omar's son) moves to college, the cut-offs will be even more insane," he tweeted.
He also said that he was happy that he finished college 20 years ago as the present cut-offs were "scary". "With these kinds of cut-off marks, I'd have been doing a correspondence course because I wouldn't have even gotten a 'pass course' admission," he said. Omar Abdullah is no longer the chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir and his son will be going to a college next year. He would still be worried because the DU cut-off is going up every year.
During the current academic year cut-off for certain courses has reached unbelievable 100% at Delhi University.
At Sri Ram College of Commerce popularly known as SRCC, Economics (Honours) is at 98.25% and B.Com (Honours) is at 97.375%. At another elite Kirori Mal college, Economics (Honours) and Political Science (Honours) cut-off stands at 98%.
In Miranda House, Economics (Honours) and English (Honours) stand at 97.5% and Political Science (Honours) is 96.5%. At the College of Vocational Studies, cut-off for B.Com (Honours) is a whopping 98%. At Gargi College, English (Honours) and B.Com (Honours) cut off is 97%. At Kirori Mal college again the cut-off for Mathematics(Honours) and Statistics (Honours) has been fixed at 97% and Chemistry (Honours) is 96.66%.
The first cut-off list of Delhi University for its undergraduate courses has yet again touched the 100%-mark with two colleges this time putting the ceiling at maximum for admission to its BSc (Computer Science) course. Delhi University North Campus Admissions to the academic session 2015-16 for which the varsity had received 3.7 lakh applications, begun on Thursday.
College of Vocational Studies and Indraprastha College for Women have posed a stiff competition with 100% cut-off for the computer science programme for general category students.
Various other colleges have set 99% mark-level. While Moti Lal Nehru college has kept its cut-off for B. Com Honors at a "precise" 99.5%, Maiteyi college has kept the mark at 99 for B. Com.
Other colleges which have announced the ceiling at 99% include Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm (ARSD) college, Ram Lal Anand College, PGDAV college, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Science for Women for Computer Science.
Hindu College has kept its cut-off at 98 for Economics, 97.75 for English, History and Political Science and 97.25 for B. Com(H).
SRCC, ranked among the best in the country for higher studies in Commerce and Economics, announced its cut off at 98.25 for Economics Honours and 97.37 for B. Com Honors.
The cut-offs for Commerce programme for many colleges were above 90% with SGGS College of Comemrce at 97%, SGTB Khalsa 96.75%, SGND Khalsa 94%, Shivaji College 97%, Shyama Prasad Mukehrjee College 93%, Shyam Lal and Aurobindo College 94%.
For admission to Sri Venekteswara College, students are required to have 93% for BA programme, 97% for Economics, 95% for English and 96.75 and 97.75 for BCom Programme and Honours respectively.
The dreadful cut-off rates lead to a fierce debate over the relevance of illogical percentages every year. There has been demand to increase the total number seats in all colleges to accommodate more students and bring the cut off down.
In 2013, the then Union minister of state for human resources development Shashi Tharoor slammed the current admission system calling it "unidimensional” in nature. He said that the cut-offs have damaged the quality and variety of students passing out of Delhi University.
Tharoor, who studied History at the prestigious St Stephen’s, said that when he was in college, students were admitted on a variety of criteria including debating skills, sports and musical talent, unlike the current system where only students with high scores are considered for admissions.
He had said, "I am not a fan of the cut-off system, in fact I am worried by it. This system has led to students being admitted to colleges from a unidimensional view. This is damaging the spirits and ethos of colleges which are supposed to develop future leaders”.
In 2011, the then Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal had sharply criticised Delhi University colleges for declaring an unbelievable 100% cut-off for a course. He had said that it was sad that the cut-offs were "irrational” and "exclusionary.”
According to a report in ‘The Hindu’ he was referring to the Shri Ram College of Commerce on the North Campus which has declared a 96-100% cut-off for admission to B.Com (Honours) in its first list. The Delhi University's admission cut-offs for under-graduate courses, which were declared on Tuesday evening, are at an all-time high.
"It is very sad that a college has declared a 100% cut-off for applicants from a certain stream. I have heard that another college has declared a 99% cut-off," he said.
However, nothing has changed even after such an outrage over outrageous cut off rates. The cut off rates keep going up even crossing 100% in some cases.
There are just 55,000 seats available in the Delhi University colleges. More than 3.5 lakh students apply for these few seats leading to sky rocketing cut-offs.
Education experts argue that the government must increase the total number of colleges and seats in Delhi. Since Delhi is national capital and attracts students from all over India, so naturally the competition will be fierce. But, the government should make it a level playing ground they say.
After seeing these cut offs some people who are not from Delhi and studied elsewhere half jokingly say, "We are glad that we were not born in Delhi. Otherwise we would have remained 12th pass all our lives."
Shockingly true.
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