Admission to Delhi University Through ECA (Extra Curricular Activity) Not Easy Anymore

Admission under the Extra Curricular Activity (ECA) category will not be equated with a backdoor entry anymore.

Till now, many colleges were letting students who did not have certificates perform at the selection trials for the ECA category, and assigning marks solely based on the trials.

Delhi University (DU) has introduced a new set of guidelines which make clear the profile of candidates and marks distribution, thereby making selection in the category tougher.

DU has also clarified the ECA admission committee’s composition.

As per the new guidelines, every candidate applying under the ECA category will have to produce certificates to prove that she/he has been active in the last three years.

Certificates acquired at international, national, state, zonal and school level will be considered, and will be given a weightage of 25%.

The other 75% marks will be based on performance.

Till now, many colleges were letting students who did not have certificates perform at the trial, and assigning marks based solely on the trials.

The university has also put a cap on percentage. As per the new rules, there cannot be a difference of more than 15% marks between the cut-offs for general category students and students admitted through the ECA category.

Not all, however, are sure about this decision.

A difference of 20% would have been more feasible, as students who fall within this difference are usually the ones who get selected,” said Rajendra Prasad, principal, Ramjas College.

The composition of the ECA admission committee has also been spelt out this year. It has been made it mandatory for colleges to engage two judges who are experts in their fields (dance, theatre or music) while selecting students.

This is the first time that a fixed set of guidelines have been issued for admission under the ECA category. And while this has perturbed some colleges, others said they would not be affected by the new guidelines at all.

“We have always asked for recent certificates as proof of performance. Also, we have never overshot the cap of 15% difference. 

All the guidelines that have been laid down were already part of our rules, so our procedure will not be affected,” said Ujjaini Ray, who teaches history at Lady Shri Ram College for Women.

Students who want admission under the ECA category will have to buy forms from individual colleges. Trials will be conducted at two levels — preliminary and final.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com