Getting admission in Delhi University (DU) may get tougher this year. It is likely that the cutoff ‘ranges’-with multiple minimum scores for the same course, each assigned to a different category of applicants based on subjects included in their best-four aggregates or performance in certain subjects in school-may be replaced by single cutoff scores.

V K Kawatra, principal, Hansraj College, explained that additional eligibility criteria have been used by North Campus colleges as part of a ‘screening process’.

Now, the other criteria have been abolished, and the penalty for not including the subject applied to in best-four or including one that’s not taught in DU or considered vocational has been fixed-2.5 percentage points would be docked from best-four aggregates in all cases.

Reports state that although no  formal directions have been received from the university,  in the ‘formal and informal discussions’ among teachers at Hindu, they have decided to keep cutoffs ‘very stringent’.

It may be mentioned that this year, DU colleges will be mandated to enroll all the students meeting their cut-off criteria and there will be no first-come, first-served policy for undergraduate admissions, which will start from May 28 for the 2015-16 academic session. The offline forms will be accepted at the registration centres from June 5 to June 15 between 9 am to 3 pm. The varsity has set up eight admission centres as against the 18 which were set up last year.

 It has been decided by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education board (GSHSEB) to award four marks against the four wrong questions to the students who wrote their Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GujCET) for admission to medical and para-medical courses. This decision comes in the backdrop where the board found that two questions in physics and two in biology were wrong. Board officials have clarified that those students who wrote GujCET will be given four marks against the four wrong questions. Earlier, the board had announced to give two marks — one each in physics and biology.

Media reports state that GSHSEB had received 405-odd objections to the answer keys for GujCET. After this, the board sought experts’ opinion and decided to give one mark against each of the four wrong questions. While declaring the provisional answer key, the board had said that it would prepare the merit list on the basis of marks scored out of total 117, instead of 120, as it said three questions were wrong. Later, it announced that only two questions were wrong. But finally, it settled with the decision that four questions were wrong and so merit would be calculated on the basis of marks obtained out of 120.

Meanwhile, Gujarat University (GU) has begun online admissions for the 2,800 seats in seven science colleges in the city, barring St Xavier’s College. GU stated that students seeking admission to first year BSc courses will have to apply online, while allotment of seats at these colleges will be offline. GU has decided to call 500 students every day and will allocate seats according to merit from June 20 to June 27.

 In a new turn of events, Delhi University (DU) has now said that it will not go ahead with the implementation of the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) if its Executive Council and Academic Council decide against the same.

It may be mentined here that some time back, DU had decided to go ahead with the introduction of Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) from the upcoming academic session, apparently without the “mandate” of the varsity’s Executive Council. In an official communication to deans of all faculties on April 29, DU’s joint registrar (academics) has directed them to start preparations for the implementation of CBCS.
The registrar’s communication came after a meeting between the vice-chancellor, Dinesh Singh, and the deans to discuss its implementation on April 23.

As many as 18 UGC-funded central universities have introduced Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels to bring about qualitative improvement in higher education. Minister of State for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour session that UGC has been constantly persuading the universities to introduce academic reforms like introduction of semester system, CBCS and grading, to bring about qualitative improvement in higher education in the country.

 In India, the number of schools with IB (International Baccalaureate) has witnessed a nearly ten-fold increase during the last ten years. In 2003, there were a mere 11 schools offering the IB programme. By 2013, this had gone up to 107. Maharashtra leads the way with 41 schools.

Furthermore, other international school programmes have become more popular as well. The study conducted by the National University of Educational Planning & Administration said that as of 2013, there were 478 international schools affiliated to three foreign boards – the Geneva-headquartered IB, Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and Edexcel, both based in the UK. These are spread across 19 Indian states, with the highest number (318 schools) affiliated to CIE, followed by IB (102) and Edexcel (58). Seventy-six schools are affiliated to both CIE and IB. Incidentally, Maharashtra has the highest number of CIE schools as well at 96.

It has been suggested inastudy commissioned by the Human Resource Development ministry that the government initiate a policy framework for the establishment and regulation of international schools by setting up the International Schools Regulatory Authority (ISRA).

The study has asked the government to clearly specify the essential attributes of an international school. For instance, more than 20 per cent international mix of students and faculty could be one way of doing it. It has also been found that many private schools use the nomenclature of ‘international’ without any affiliation. “This needs to be curbed,” the study says.

NUEPA has also said that ISRA should regulate tuition fees and other charges commensurate to the expenses of the school. As for recruitment of foreign/international teachers, the study says there is a need for determining proportion of Indian and foreign teachers. Also, the HRD ministry in collaboration with foreign and labour ministry should evolve a visa policy for these teachers.

In the last five years, 67 IB and 139 CIE schools have taken direct affiliation with international boards without any national or state registration or national and state board affiliation, the study has noted. Then there are 236 schools which have dual affiliation from national (CBSE, CISCE and state boards) and international boards.

It may be mentioned that the IB diploma is awarded by IBO, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Fewer than a hundred IB World schools operate in India resulting in no more than a few thousand certificate holders.