Education, Careers & Professional News
DU Welcomes The Throng With Hands Wide Open
The first day of Delhi University (DU) admissions, the mantra was playing it safe.
ICR forms were sold in thousands, but students went on to buy forms of individual colleges as well. The result: Most colleges on North Campus recorded unprecedented sales some as much as double the number last year.
As an official at an elite college put it, They (university authorities) did us a favour with the publicity campaign. Now everyone wants to buy the form from the college itself.
So while the Dean Students Welfare (DSW) office sold more than 12,000 ICR forms in the North Campus, Hindu College sold 7,500. At Ramjas, the tally was 7,000. But the real indicator that students were not convinced with the centralised forms was to be found at Kirori Mal College.
Its principal informed that more than 800 prospectus had been sold this year. Believe is or not, this is a four-time increase from last year.
And if the first day figures are anything to go by, sales are pitched to surpass last years numbers. Said D K Mittal, principal, SRCC: By 1 pm, we had sold 800 prospectus and 1,000 forms. If it continues this way, sales would certainly pass the 10,000-mark of 2004.
It was no different at Hindu College.
T C Arora, a college official, said: Last year, on the first day, only 5,000 forms were sold. This year, even students who hadnt scored well came to buy the forms, though we had put up an indicative cut-off list.
The DSW had this year repeatedly emphasised that all colleges apart from St Stephens and Jesus and Mary college would be accepting the ICR forms.
Said S R Arora, principal, Hans Raj College: We did inform students that we would accept all forms. But it seems students have more faith in filling out the college admission forms. It was the same story at Ramjas, where admission in-charge, D K Sharma, informed: I saw many students picking up the forms of colleges, which cost only 1 rupee per form, rather than opt for the ICR form, which costs Rs 20.
On the whole, the first day went off without a hitch. Unlike last year, there werent any cries of shortage of forms, though students could be seen running around to find a submission counter at the Arts Faculty centre in North Campus.
While DSW officials maintained that students could submit forms at any centre, it seemed that Arts Faculty hadnt been informed of the same so students were asked to come back for submission the next day.
Applicants could also be seen scratching their heads over the ICR form. Said Silky Gupta, from DLDAV school: There are so many codes in this form. For instance, the code for the English (hons) course is 62 and that for maths, 63. If the two get interchanged by mistake, my career will be ruined.
Priyanka Khanna of Springdales School, another applicant, meanwhile wondered: Where do I go to submit these forms? Will the colleges accept them?
Confusion also prevailed among students about the sports quota. Said Kunal Sabarwal, who had come from Agra: There is a provision for the sports quota in the ICR form, but colleges are saying that they will accept only their forms. Im not sure what to do
Sources: Online Resources