1. CUET results have come late, which means DU session will start late this year too. What would you tell the students?
You VC: We are a little late but as soon as the results are out, we will start admissions. For those first year courses in which admissions are based on CUET, their session will be delayed by at least two weeks. Now we will start classes from August 16. For the rest of the post graduate courses, all B.Tech programmes, 5-year law programmes, in which admissions are being done on the basis of other entrances, we will start the session from August 1.
2. From CUET to NET, every entrance exam of NTA is facing problems ranging from cancellation of exam, postponement to paper leak. What is the solution to this?
When an entrance exam is conducted at an all India level, it is natural for some problems to arise, as it has many challenges. NTA is conducting every entrance exam with good intentions, but some gangs in the country are trying to disrupt the exam in different ways. Now the Government of India has become very strict and I think for the first time the case has been given to the CBI. The way arrests are being made, gangsters will be scared and many people will be punished in the coming time. I am hopeful that all the agencies together will find a good solution to all kinds of problems.
Second, this has nothing to do with the questions being raised on the mode of the exam. Whether it is an online computer-based exam or an OMR-based exam, both have different challenges. But goons can try to harm both. NTA puts in its best efforts in preparing for the entrance exam and Delhi University has benefited from it.
With the advent of CUET many students from different state boards are taking admission here. CUET is giving equal opportunity to students. The most ideal situation is that we conduct CUET twice a year. This is very good for students from small towns and different state boards. Like JEE if CUET exam is conducted twice then the student has a chance that if for some reason he does not do well or is unable to appear in one exam then he has a second chance. The best score out of the two should be taken.
3. This time admission to PhD will be based on NET score, but the exam has been postponed. This means that admission to PhD will also be delayed. JNU is considering conducting its own entrance instead of NET. What is DU thinking?
We are not thinking like this. We will go along with the government. I think this is a very special situation, any decision should be taken after careful consideration. I don't think JNU will take any such decision. It will go along with us, with the government. If JNU separates itself from NET then it will not be right for the new PhD system, because like DU, JNU is also a prestigious university and there are many admissions for PhD in it.
4. Recently DU has agreed to award two degrees at the same time. What are UGC's further views on joint, dual, twin degrees?
I think we should not do anything in a hurry. That is why we have taken the first step in DU itself. Any of our students can take two degrees simultaneously, one from regular and one from our own School of Learning (SOL). This will let us gain experience, review and remove problems. Then we will move forward slowly!
Now only time will tell whether we will start both the courses regularly or not. It is very difficult to say this today. There are many challenges for this, which will have to be considered deeply. We will also gradually move towards joint and twinning degrees.
5. Is DU considering building a campus outside the country?
I'm not thinking about it right now.
6. UGC has allowed admission twice a year. Is DU considering this?
We take admission in PhD twice a year. For PG and UG, we will wait a little. Right now we are not doing anything about it. There are many challenges in this including infrastructure, faculty. We have to think about this first.
7. When will the construction of DU East Campus begin? When will the campus become operational?
You VC: The contract for DU East Campus in Surajmal Vihar has been finalized, construction work will start in 15-20 days. This is a project worth 226 crores. CPWD has taken it in its hands. The boundary wall has been built. A very big building has to be built, so it will take 1.5-2 years to be ready. The Law Center will be shifted here or a new center will be started. The SOL center will also be built here.
This is an expansion plan, we will try our best to provide maximum facilities to the students in the main campus of DU. For example, we can have two law centres in the North Campus, and open new centres in the East and Dwarka campuses. There is a plot of four to five acres in Dwarka, it will be a small campus. Construction work has started a month ago, it will also be ready in one and a half years.
8. How far has the work progressed on DU's two new colleges?
The work on the new college in Najafgarh will start in August. For this, a fund of about Rs 100 crore has been received from HEFA. The college is expected to start in the 2026-27 session. We will start with some good undergraduate courses here like BSc Computer Science – with specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, BSc – Data Analytics. We want to run some new-age courses in this co-ed college. Secondly, there is a proposed college in Fatehpur Beri, it has not been approved yet.
9. The issue of 12 colleges has not been resolved yet. There are complaints of not getting funds on time from the Delhi government. Appointments are not being made. What is the current stand of the university on this issue?
Appointments cannot be made without the permission of the Delhi government and the government is not giving permission for this right now. The matter is still in process. We have sent requests to the Delhi government several times. If appointments are not made, the colleges will have to manage with guest teachers, which is not a very good system. This is a system of compulsion. I would also like to appeal to the Delhi government to approve the posts as soon as possible so that we can start the recruitment process in the college as soon as possible and the colleges can get teachers as per their requirement in the new session.
