Data speaks for itself: The Campus environment is set to change

Let some data and facts given below, speak for itself:

Students of Kerala Board will not be eligible any more for admission in the second list as being hundred percenters, almost all of 4824 students were eligible for the first cut off. 

However, there are around 8 to 9000 seats available in the Campus Colleges for admissions this year. And the 2365 hundred percenters from a single board must have got admissions on these 8 to 9000 seats of the Campus Colleges. Ask any security agency to realize that to control the students politics and to paralyze the functioning of DU Campus, 500 dedicated volunteers would be more than enough if they are residing around and within the Campus (hostels) to make themselves available on a few minutes call. My apprehension is that in reality the number will exceed this 500 threshold by a good amount.

Just look at these figures. In one prestigious Campus college of Delhi University on the Sudhir Bose Marg

• In Zoology Hons 60 out of 70 from Kerala Board
• In Political Science 149 out of 150 from Kerala Board

Another premier Campus college near Maurice Nagar

• In Political Science Hons 29 out of 29 hundred percenter are from Kerala Board
• In B.Com, out of 40 candidates having hundred percent marks all belong to Kerala Board

 In yet another premier college in the North Campus situated on Chhatra Marg:

• In History Hons 9 out of 9 from Kerala Board
• In Sociology Hons 10 out of 10 from Kerala Board
• In English Hons 36 out 38 from Kerala Board
• In Political Science 43 out of 44 from Kerala Board

Examples are plenty. Trend is extremely unusual and demands due attention.

An HT article claims that according to the CBSE board only 550 students have been given more than 99 percent marks. Similarly Kerala Board claims about 700 students have been given hundred percent marks. However, DU claimed that 4,824 students of Kerala Board have hundred percent and around 3000 of CBSE have the same. The catch lies in the fact that DU calculates the percentage only based on Four papers and that too only in class 12. While Kerala Board considers all the papers and for 11 and 12 both, CBSE considers Five papers of the class 12. Please have a look at the following table to get to realize the actual scenario. All approximations have been done based on the numbers available on the authentic internet sites. 

Total seats in Campus colleges available for admissions 85000 approximately:

Name of the Board	Total number of pass-outs in class 12	Total applicants for DU	Number of students based on slots of marks	Suggestive percentage in four best papers for cut off based admissions in DU (Total 9200 as claimed by the registrar)	Admission taken in DU with hundred percent marks in their Best Four
CBSE	13,69,000	46,054	Less than 550 as about 550 candidates scored more than 99%	Unconfirmed sources claim this to be around 3000	around 100
KERALA State Board	3,20,000	4,824	Roughly estimated as 700	4800 as claimed through DU sources in news reports	2365
All Other Boards combined	Estimated as 60 to 70,00,000	10,026	No estimates	Around 1400	around 100

 

About 2500 students of Kerala Board did not opt for DU this year and only 2365 candidates out of 4824 students having perfect scores of hundred percent have got admitted in one of the colleges in the North campus that has a strength of 8 to 9000 students. This number in all probability is almost 90 percent of all such candidates having hundred percent. These students having such marks will claim even the hostel seats very comfortably. Only 10 percent of those having hundred percent belong to all Boards other than Kerala Board.

So, the plan has already been successfully executed. The environment of the class and the Campus will get impacted immediately with a sudden and significant demographic transformation. And as a logical conclusion, I am preparing myself for a continuous political disturbance in the Campus at the cost of our teaching-learning environment. 

Response to Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s Article “Weaponising faith: The Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath dispute” Published in The Indian Express on April 13, 2021

Look at the audacity with which Mr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes in his column, “The purpose is not to craft a connection with Shiva or Krishna, the purpose is to permanently indict minorities. It is to use a sacred place of worship as a weaponised tool against another community.” Did he and his other ‘secular’ friends ever say similar words for those who actually did this in the name of Islam? They never asked them to even be apologetic and instead helped them in glorifying their acts. Ironically, they want victims to be demonised. Just notice the way Brahmins of the time, when they were actually being especially targeted for persecution by Islamic invaders including Mughals, have been demonized in the article. He states that Pandit Jagannath was outcasted for marrying a muslim girl! The fact that Pandit Jagannath served in the courts of barbaric Mughal invaders has been wiped out to suit his narrative. Mr Pratap Bhanu refrained from demonizing Aurangzeb, but did not lose the opportunity to demonize those who were actually trying to preserve and protect themselves in the barbaric Mughal/Islamic regime known for carrying out massacre of Brahmins and destruction of temples! It is really strange that for ‘Seculars’, instead of Mughals, Brahmins were the criminal culprits even when they were being killed and persecuted!

 

The ‘secular blindness’ clearly gets reflected in his statement when he states that destroying a place of faith is ‘exactly same’ as correcting the act “In the past, the destruction of religious shrines may have been the function of state power. But modern India cannot repeat the same logic. We cannot say that because political power has changed hands, so must the power to define the religious landscape. The demand that Kashi or Mathura be returned is exactly that.”. He assumes as if a fresh and undisputed place of worship is being taken up at Gyanvapi. As a matter of fact, far from indicting a fresh wound to the other side the intention is only to heal the old wound. The religion that has actually weaponized faith since medieval period has never been asked by these ‘seculars’ to amend their ways but the victims have been continuously asked not to get their wounds healed because it would hurt those who wounded them! Logic and reasoning had already deserted the 'Seculars' of India and now they have clearly lost their mind. After all, you need to possess a high level of irrationality to spend centuries in demonizing the persecuted victims and glorifying the barbaric Islamic invaders.

Celebrations can Wait

Promotions are only serving as balm for our collective pain temporarily, as the University will not be cured unless the University begins transforming into having an adequate number of permanent teachers.

It is indeed very satisfying to witness teachers getting smoothly promoted to stage II and stage III. Promotion to the Associate Professorship has also become a reality. And above all, the mirage of promotion to Professorship in the colleges has actually been realized this time.

The reason however, behind the fact that this era of hope started as late as now despite more than six-year rule of this central government is simply inexplicable. It is even more intriguing that the delay happened despite the fact that the government was committed to all these from its early days. This is something that needs to be analyzed, decoded and reasoned out. Was this inordinate delay due to one single person or the blame needs to be shared equally with the government and other local strategists who failed in making assessment and taking timely remedial actions? The fact that it all started after sidelining one single person, underlines an unpardonable failure of those who had the responsibility to convey and convince the government to do that well in time. For, while teachers are getting promoted retrospectively without the dates of promotions getting adversely impacted, those who were waiting for a chance to become permanent will never be as lucky. The widespread celebration of these much awaited promotions might have boosted an image or two personally but it hardly soothes the pain of more than half of the teachers who have been waiting to get a chance  to become permanent. In comparison with those who got promoted from back date, these mortals will not be that lucky. They will remain at a disadvantage even if they are lucky enough to become permanent somehow now.

The public celebration of promotions leaves a bitter taste behind. I do not know if those who are waiting to become permanent for the last 5-10 years are feeling as being ridiculed at or if it is enhancing and aggravating their pain and misery, but in both the cases such celebration leaves a long lasting avoidable impression on suffering minds. In view of this, it must be honestly analyzed as to what went wrong during the last six years so that precautions can be taken at this crucial juncture when the University is looking forward to welcoming a fresh regime of five years.

Let us end the nightmare surrounding half of the teachers and create an environment of collective celebration. Celebration must wait.

Warning trends observed in DU admissions: Measures needed to foil any design to convert it into another Leftist hub

A recent trend noticed in the admission pattern of undergraduate courses in Delhi University must draw immediate attention of the policymakers. The statistics is pregnant with wide spectrum of possibilities hidden inside it. According to the sources, this year around 940 students have got admitted in Delhi University undergraduate courses with a perfect 100 percent marks in their best four subjects. As a matter of fact, this number had jumped up from 150 odd in 2016 to 450 plus last year in 2019 itself but had gone unnoticed. What must surprise us is that out of the increase of 300 registered in 2019 about 205 were contributed only from Kerala Board. What should catch our attention further is that such applicants belonging to the Kerala Board and having perfect score of 100% in best four subjects, had exploded from mere 3 in 2016 to 208 in 2019. Similar figures for CBSE board were 145 in 2016 and 160 in 2019. These numbers increased this year for CBSE too, but it can be attributed to the generous marking that happened due to Covid-19 online exam-evaluation (in 2020). The numbers increased from 160 in 2019 to 650 in 2020 for CBSE and for Kerala Board it increased from 208 to 290. But the explosion of numbers that happened for Kerala Board from 3 in 2016 to 208 in 2019 itself for reasons yet to be known must be analyzed and investigated without further delay.

These students from Kerala Board have chosen various social science courses in elite colleges of Delhi University. For example, out of 10 students under UR category admitted for the Sociology (Hons) course in one of the best Campus College this year, a whopping 8 seats now belong to the Kerala Board. In English (Hons) course for the same institution, 11 candidates out of total 23 have got admitted under UR from the Kerala Board background. In Political Science (Hons) course, such candidates have occupied a mind-boggling 31 out of 37 who were admitted in the first cut off under UR category. What must not go unnoticed is that out of these 31 students almost all have got 100% in their best four subjects. In fact, the college had announced a 99.5% cut-off for unreserved category, but they had to admit 37 under this category against their sanctioned seats of only 20. The data rightly indicates that students belonging to the Kerala Board are flooding the most sought courses in all the elite colleges disregarding the number of sanctioned seats because no college can deny these students admission into their first choice of course. In another college considered to be the best for Geography (Hons), has four students with perfect 100% but 3 out of these belong to Kerala Board. In yet another college of North Campus specialized in commerce and economics, although these numbers appear to be less but even these are highest scoring applicants from Kerala Board. The situation was heavily imbalanced in favor of Kerala Board last year since the CBSE board were not able to match their figures then.

For those who are not familiar with the admission procedure that is operational in DU colleges for undergraduate courses -> Colleges of Delhi University are expected to announce college specific cut-offs for admissions and once announced, they are obliged to admit all who satisfy the announced cut-off criteria. No student having best four score more than the announced cu-off can be denied admissions. Having a score of 100% in best four subjects is equivalent to having three aces in the game of cards. Students having hundred percent marks in class XII are sure of admission in any Delhi University College and into any subject of their choice. They can’t be denied admission on any ground. Surprisingly these students who come from Kerala and find it difficult to communicate comfortably either in Hindi or English, for some reasons have started choosing Delhi for their education after 2017-18. Ironically, Kerala - a state, that otherwise boasts itself of their excellent education infrastructure is showing such an abnormal exodus of their ‘most meritorious’ students. It must be ascertained by the policymakers, if these are innocent choices and are not part of a hidden strategy or campaign. Are the obvious shortcomings of the outdated admission process of Delhi University, based on cut off is being exploited by some strategists who are working on a plan? The fear is not entirely unfounded as one can notice that overwhelming majority of these Kerala Board students come with 100% in their best four subjects and their number decreases drastically for students having lesser best four.

One must not forget that Delhi has witnessed riots early this year in which ‘radical elements’ operating in Jamia and JNU have been found to be actively involved. A well-known and zealous lot of left-wing girls’ group that is very active in Delhi University has also been found to be involved in the same. A Kerala based rich-radical group, PFI, has also recently become very active in Delhi and have been funding all these activities. These forces must be looking for a space in Delhi University to settle itself. Delhi University and its authorities need to take up this issue seriously before this place also starts providing an environment for the students to grow as 'nation-indifferent' individuals. For obvious reasons, such forces must have realized that 'radicalization' of Jamia was easier because they neither follow any strict merit criteria nor any reservation policy in admissions. On the other hand, JNU used to follow innovative techniques to promote and facilitate admission to their ‘ideologically favoured’ candidates. Despite keeping other things under their control, 'radical' elements have failed to replicate their success in Delhi University because the admission procedure in DU has remained mechanical and transparent till now under the criteria based on cut offs. Left politics is known to use all kinds of manipulations to achieve their aim of occupying the ideological space in the campuses of premier Universities in India. In 2016, students of one single school of a south Indian state occupied majority of seats in SRCC (Sri Ram College of Commerce). And that probably showed the ‘radical’ elements a way to occupy the students’ space in DU.

For the past several years left politics have failed to impress the students of DU and recently they have witnessed worrying signs of decline in their popularity. In some students’ union elections they could get less than even the NOTA votes. These statistics must also alert the policymakers as the rare possibility of scoring perfect hundred in class XII examinations that was unimaginable a couple of years ago is becoming worryingly common now. Let Delhi University learn the lesson fast and adopt the recommendation of the New National Education Policy 2020 to implement entrance examination for undergraduate courses from the next year. This would be enough to spoil any game plan of the forces, trying to occupy the ideological space in DU using their new-found marks-manipulation strategy.