English Department students protest against implementation of Continuous Assessment

Students of the Department of English at Delhi University (DU) have been protesting since November 11 against the implementation of Continuous Assessment (CA) under the National Education Policy (NEP), alleging a lack of communication and excessive academic pressure on them. Despite ongoing demonstrations, the administration is yet to respond to their demands.

The protest, which began on Tuesday, outside the Arts Faculty in North Campus, intensified on Tuesday when students blocked the department gate, demanding an immediate intervention from the Head of Department (HoD) Anjana Sharma. The students have accused the authorities concerned of introducing the CA system abruptly after the autumn break, without providing adequate time or clarity for them to be able to navigate through the changes.

According to students, the HoD initially denied responsibility for having implemented the NEP but admitted to being aware of the Continuous Assessment since September. “We are already struggling with Internal Assessments, and now Continuous Assessments have been added without any proper planning. This is unfair to students who are already under academic stress,” said Priya Mehta, a first year English (Honours) student.

On November 11, students blocked the entry and exit to the department office after learning that the HoD had taken a two day leave. The protesters then submitted a list of demands to the university authorities through Associate Professor Prerna Malhotra, who acted as an intermediary.

Their key demands include cancelling scheduled presentations on November 12, allowing group submissions instead of individual ones and extending the submission deadline to November 26.

“The administration is ignoring our genuine concerns. We have been peacefully protesting for days, but no one is ready to listen to us. We just want a fair academic structure,” said Simran, a student of the department.

Despite the intervention of the Proctor’s Office and the drafting of an application, outlining student grievances, no resolution has been reached. Students say they will continue their protest until their demands are met.

The Tribune tried to contact Anjana Sharma, Head of the Department of English, for a comment, but she did not responded, despite several attempts.