The English Department of the Delhi University has decided to scrap the Common Aptitude Test for English (CATE) from this academic year. This test is taken for getting admissions in English Honours courses in the university.
Around 46 colleges have a course in English Honours and last year 21 colleges conducted this examination for the admissions. Apart from this, colleges consider the marks of the subject in CBSE Class XII exam. The admission in English Honours course will now be made on the basis of cut off marks as applicable in other courses.
"We are not conducting the CATE this year. It has been dropped because most of the colleges didn't opt for CATE. Only ten or less number of colleges have shown interest this time. That is the only reason for calling it off otherwise the university and department were both ready for it," said Sumanyu Satpathy, the head of the English Department.
The CATE started in 2008 with 12 colleges. "We garnered the support of colleges in just four years and had 21 colleges participating last year. The Class XII students of the CBSE do not have enough literature content thus this test helped to check the merit of students in this subject. The other way of taking students for English courses is through the marks of CBSE and it will be the same case from now. We were told that it will not happen from this year. There are not enough colleges so it's better not to invest in it. Colleges are too involved in the implementation of the new Four-Year Undergraduate Programme. The new changes of the restructuring of undergraduate courses may have increased the workload so that's why this has got sidelined this time," said Tapan Basu, an English Professor and the co-convenor of the CATE.
However, Satpathy said that the department may return to CATE the next year. And one of the sources from the department added that they were told only if more than 20 colleges come forward for it, they would start CATE again.
"For an English student one cannot judge on basis of their score in the twelfth class. It is a language subject and sometimes the best can't score well but they have a good hold on the subject. Thus such an extrance examination was a breather for all," said Shubpreet Kaur Gill, a former student of English Honours from the Miranda House.