Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday reignited the debate around prioritising the induction of students passing out from the Capital’s schools at Delhi University colleges over applicants from other State boards.
This, according to sources, could be in the offing by the next academic session at the sought-after varsity.
A cause which continues to find both resonance in Delhi’s politics and support across party lines,
Mr. Kejriwal’s comment came in the wake of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia having written to former Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani on the issue last week.
“Bizarre”
“The DU admission system is most bizarre. It does not have either quota for locals or normalisation of marks or entrance tests,” Mr. Kejriwal tweeted in the morning.
In his letter, Mr. Sisodia, who is also the Delhi Education Minister, had argued for an entrance test and preference points for students passing out of the Capital’s schools at least in colleges funded by the Delhi government.
The cause has allegedly brought the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation as well as BJP MP and recently-inducted Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel — a DU product who has consistently campaigned for it over the past five years — on the same side of the argument.
“A few modalities need to be worked out with regard to the step which, I am confident, will soon spell relief for thousands of students passing out of Delhi schools by next academic year,” Mr. Goel told The Hindu .
Go-ahead
Stating that he had followed up on the matter with Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, Mr. Sisodia and Ms. Irani, Mr. Goel said the ball was now in the Delhi government’s court as the Centre.
He said the Centre, which administers the varsity, has given the Delhi government “the required” go-ahead to implement the demand in about a dozen colleges of the 28 Delhi University colleges funded by it.
A Delhi government source, who maintained the move was “not aimed at casting aspersions on other State [education] boards, but required to remedy the fact that half the students passing out from Delhi schools do not find seats in Delhi University”, confirmed that the government was working on a policy decision in this direction, which could be announced “soon”.
The Centre has given the Delhi government “the required” go-ahead to implement the demand, said Vijay Goel
