DU ECA Admissions Reconsidered

Source: The Indian Express

This year ECA admissions were cancelled (excluding NCC and NSS) as its categories do not provide government-approved certificates based on which even the sports quota admissions were to be held. This decision faced several criticisms from the societies of colleges, students, and famous dancers, after which the DU chancellor urged to continue with ECA.

In the meeting scheduled on 17th July, it was decided that the 75 marks for performance will be merged with 25 marks for certificates. Hence, selecting participants on the basis of their training received, the period of training, competitions participated, at what levels and self- attested photocopies of certificates. This decision was approved in the meeting held on 18th July.

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Arun Atree, a member of the Standing Committee said, “The sub-committee on admissions brought the proposal to the standing committee to begin admissions under ECA category on the basis of certificates only by excluding trials (offline as well as online). I strongly objected to it as there is no way of authenticating the credibility of the ECA certificates, unlike sports, as no government-approved institutions are issuing the certificates and this would do injustice to genuine candidates”. Online trials were suggested but “the committee members pleaded lack of experts and infrastructure as the reason for doing away with even online trials”. 
The Indian National Teachers’ Congress, four AC, and two EC members of Academics for Action & Development have also written to the DU Vice-Chancellor but there was no response.