The Delhi University (DU)'s attempt of engaging private players for conducting Computer-Based Test (CBT) for entrance to its professional Under Graduate (UG), all Post Graduate (PG), Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) courses is being opposed by almost all sections of teaching and student community.
With the DU inviting bids from private players for conducting the CBT, elected teacher representatives to the Executive Council (EC) — the university's highest decision making body — have expressed their grave concerns. Teachers alleged that the decisions involving such major policy changes in admission process cannot be taken without putting the issue before of the statutory bodies like Academic Council (AC) and Executive Council.
Ironically a 10-member committee that includes four principals and 3 officials has been tasked to frame policies while the larger bodies like “Admission Advisory Committee” and Statutory bodies like AC & EC are not even being consulted. The members of AC and EC are apprehensive that the university may go ahead with these major changes, only to be put in front of statutory bodies for “post-facto” approval.
AK Bhagi, an EC member and President of right wing teacher's body National Democratic Teachers' Front (NDTF) in his letter to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh K Tyagi, said, “Online test should be held by the University itself and not by any private agency.
It is necessary to maintain secrecy and sanctity of examination. The prestige of DU is at stake for holding such a test and therefore experimenting the outsourcing of this important work may malign our image as a university.” The letter further said, “It seems that university administration doesn't trust its own system and want to outsource the test to private agencies with some motive beyond my understanding.”
Another EC member Rajesh Jha — also the press-secretary of Congress-aligned teachers' body, Academics for Action and Development (AAD) - said, “This is the worst form of Public Private Partnership, the university is not only abdicating its own responsibility of conducting examination on its own but also it smells fishy.” If private players will step in, transparency of the examination will be at stake, he added.
Abha Dev Habib of the left teacher's body, Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), said the DU is not really prepared for such experiments and Government wants to push digitisation without looking at the ground realities. Indulging private players will increase privatisation of university, she added.
Saket Bahuguna, national media convener of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), said the university should have consulted all stakeholders including students before taking any such decision. “They are taking decision without consultation and without taking into confidence all the stakeholders. This shows that they have some hidden intentions,” said Saket.
Neeraj Mishra national media in charge of NSUI had already said earlier that DU must have its own “in-house” set up for conducting the online test and should not tender it out to private players.
“With teachers and students across the party lines opposing the “tendering” of online computer based test to private players in one voice, DU administration seems to stand on razor edge,” said a DU teacher. “The very concept of CBT is fraught with anomalies. It can't be just thrust upon students and teachers without proper consultation”, the teacher added.