OBC quota: SC verdict leaves teachers fuming-August 19, 2011

New Delhi

OBC quota: SC verdict leaves teachers fuming

Mallica Joshi, Hindustan Times

New Delhi, August 19, 2011

The Supreme Court verdict may have finally put an end to all ambiguity about admission for students of Other Backward Classes (OBC), but it has the Delhi University officials and teachers fuming. The verdict, which says that a maximum 10% reduction will be seen in the eligibility criteria
and not the cut-off for general category students, doesn’t change anything at the ground as the university is following the same rules since the beginning of this month but teachers are now questioning the prolonged admission calendar.

"If we have to keep coming out with cut-off lists, how are we going to teach in class? Also, the level of a general category student and that of an OBC category student will be very different because of the high differential in marks. Will they be able to cope up so late?" asked a teacher at Hindu College.

It is noteworthy that the classes at DU started on July 21. They have been on for almost a month but admissions are still on. This is also the first year that the semester system will be implemented in all courses and the exams of the first semester will be held in November end.

The Supreme Court has asked all colleges, whose admissions are still open, to fill vacant seats by August 31.

"For us, nothing has really changed this year as we had already de-linked OBC cut-offs from general category cut-offs. As for the conversion of seats in case there are vacancies, we will cross that bridge when we come to it," said JM Khurana, dean, students’ welfare, DU.

Administrators have, for a long time, been demanding that the OBC admissions be carried out in the same manner as SC/ST admissions.

"There needs to be a centralised admission process under which all OBC candidates register with the university and based on this, the university comes out with a cut-off list for them. This will remove all confusion and will also insure that the colleges fill their seats easily and do not need to come out with list after list," said a senior university official.