JNU, DU Plan for Weekend Classes, Shorter Breaks Amid Delayed UG Admissions

JNU and DU are planning to implement weekend classes and shorten the winter break due to delays in admissions.

New Delhi: Universities in the national capital, including JNU and DU, are planning to implement weekend classes and shorten the winter break due to delays in admissions caused by the uncertainty surrounding the declaration of CUET UG results, as reported by news agency PTI.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the entrance exam, announced a re-test for over 1,000 CUET UG candidates on July 19 following complaints about issues such as time lost due to the distribution of incorrect question papers. Despite this, the agency has not provided a clear timeline for the result declaration, originally scheduled for June 30 and now delayed by over two weeks. The final answer key for the undergraduate admission test has also not been released yet.

A senior JNU official mentioned that the delay in result declaration will affect the university's plan to introduce a unified academic calendar for all student batches. To compensate for the lost time, the university might have to hold extra classes on Saturdays and shorten the winter break to complete the syllabus.

"Instead of a five-day week, we may need to extend to a six-day week, utilizing Saturdays to cover the syllabus. Additionally, we might consider reducing the winter break if necessary. JNU had planned to launch a unified academic calendar for all batches this year to synchronize the admission process, a practice interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation will become clearer once the result dates are announced," the official said.

Ambedkar University Vice Chancellor Anu Singh Lather stated that the university plans to hold extra classes in the evenings and on weekends and reduce holidays to make up for the delay if required. "The re-test may delay admissions by about two weeks, which can be compensated with some extra classes. Originally, the session was supposed to start on August 1 for first-year students, but if results are not announced in the next two weeks, we will schedule extra evening classes and weekend sessions, and reduce holidays to cover the delay," she said. Classes for other students will start as per the original schedule.

At Delhi University, officials noted that the delay would extend the academic calendar for first-year students, although the schedule for other students remains unchanged, with classes starting on August 1. DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said the delay would primarily affect the first-year students' academic calendar.

Last week, DU announced its academic calendar for second-year students, which includes a shortened four-day winter break, without specifying the reason for this adjustment.

Meanwhile, an official at IP University stated that the delay would not affect its admission process, as it admits students through CUET at a later stage, by which time the results are expected to be available. IP University Vice Chancellor Mahesh Verma explained, "We admit students through national-level entrance tests for professional courses and our own in-house entrance exams. After these admissions are complete, we fill remaining seats through CUET scores. Therefore, our admissions process should not be affected by the delay."

There was no immediate response from Jamia Millia Islamia, which also uses CUET scores for some of its undergraduate courses.

While DU and Ambedkar University rely entirely on CUET scores for admissions to their undergraduate and postgraduate programs, universities like JNU, Jamia, and IP University either accept CUET scores for selected courses or use their own entrance exams.

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