DU faculty oppose proposed undergraduate seat reshuffle

The University of Delhi’s plan to redesign the undergraduate admission seat matrix for 2026–27 has drawn objections from elected faculty members, who say the proposed changes threaten Indian language courses and undermine academic diversity.

The controversy stems from a University notification dated December 3, which asked colleges to revise their admission seat matrix and submit the updated details by December 8, even as meetings of the University’s statutory bodies, including the Academic Council (AC) and Executive Council (EC), were underway.

In a note submitted during Zero Hour at the EC meeting on December 12, faculty representatives alleged that the administration is once again taking major policy decisions without proper discussion in the Academic Council. They pointed out that elected members have repeatedly requested a detailed, data-based report on CUET-driven admissions, but have so far received only a presentation. “A presentation cannot replace a comprehensive report with exact figures,” the note stated, urging the University to halt any rushed changes.

Faculty members also raised concerns about the wording of the letter sent to college principals, which asked them to “recall discussions regarding realignment or restructuring” of BA Programme combinations. According to the note, this vague instruction has already created pressure at the college level to divert seats from certain courses to more “popular” combinations, without consulting staff councils.

At the centre of the dispute is the University’s proposal to revisit BA Programme combinations with low enrolment, particularly those involving Indian languages such as Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, as well as the Office Management and Secretarial Practices (OMSP) course. Faculty argued that these courses have always had limited seat allocations and cannot be responsible for the large number of vacant seats reported across the University.

Data shared in the note shows BA Programme seats with Bengali, for example, range from just six to 25 seats per college across a handful of institutions. Similar patterns exist for other Indian languages. “Closing down these small programmes will not solve the problem of thousands of vacant seats,” the faculty warned.

They argued the root cause of low admissions lies in the CUET-based system, which has adversely affected several colleges and streams, particularly those that previously drew students from nearby localities. Instead of addressing flaws in the admission process and delays caused by CUET, the University is opting to discontinue courses, they said.

Faculty members described this approach as contradictory to the university’s stated commitment to promoting Indian languages under the National Education Policy. They said discontinuing BA Programme combinations could weaken or even shut down Indian language departments in many colleges, especially where these languages are not offered as Honours programmes.