UGC sends fresh notice to Delhi varsity in admissions row

The University Grants Commission (UGC) today sent another letter to Delhi University asking it to start admissions ''immediately''.

The UGC's director (administration) Vikram Sahay told Newsline that it had sent another letter to DU registrar Alka Sharma from the office of the UGC secretary stating that the university must begin admissions to its undergraduate programmes immediately.

The UGC, India's apex educational body run by the government, has not specified what 'starting admissions' would mean for the university and the students. It is unclear whether DU will announce cut-offs (in terms of academic marks) to admit students or announce a fresh admission process. The specifics have been left to the university.

The commission had received no reply from the university to its previous letter asking the university to start admissions under a three-year format.

After long discussions between DU and UGC officials on Wednesday, UGC issued fresh directive at night in the wake of reservations among colleges over implementing the three-year programme and starting the admission process.

Notwithstanding UGC's claim that 57 of the 64 colleges have accepted its directive, confusion reigned supreme because colleges felt they need clear-cut guidelines from a ''competent authority''.

There was no official reaction from the university over the fresh UGC order, but representatives of colleges expressed difficulty in implementing it.

(See: Litigation, confusion continue over Delhi varsity's FYUP scheme).