DU May Allow ECA Admissions Based on Self-Attested Certificates

A final call on the matter will be taken by the Vice-Chancellor, a DU official said.

A final call on ECA admissions will be taken by the Vice Chancellor, a DU official said.

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The Standing Committee of the Academic Council at the University of Delhi (DU) has recommended that admissions under the Extra-Curricular Activity (ECA) quota be made on the basis of self-attested certificates, a DU official told The Quint.

Earlier, the central varsity had decided conduct admissions under the ECA quota only on the basis of NSS or NCC certificates, since it was not possible to hold trials for different areas of expertise under ECA.

According to a DU official, the matter is pending before the Vice-Chancellor, who is expected to take a final call on the scope of ECA admissions this year.

“The standing committee has recommended that admissions be made for all fields under the ECA category on the basis of self-attested documents. However, modalities  will be announced after a final decision is taken by the V-C.”

DU Official

Usually, for ECA, 25 percent weightage is given to certificates and the rest depends on the trials. “However, the standing committee has recommended that students will be judged solely on the basis of certificates,” the official said.

Under the ECA quota, a college affiliated to DU is allowed to reserve five percent seats (over and above total seats) for those excelling in sports and other extra-curricular activities.

Don’t Have Enough Certificates, Say ECA Aspirants

While the decision may come a relief for some, many students point out that not everyone may have enough certificates to seek admission under the ECA quota.

DU aspirant Siddharth Marla, who has a passion for dance, fears that the abundance of places from where other students can obtain fake documents could leave genuine ECA students out of the ECA quota.

“My school did not allow us to participate in too many dance festivals this year, so I don’t really have too many certificates. Even most workshops don’t offer certificates. What if other students fake their certificates? How will the university verify it?”

Siddharth Marla, DU Aspirant

Similarly, Nandini Goyal, a DU aspirant from Ludhiana, says that she started learning Hindustani Music from class 9, but only has a few certificates from inter-school competitions that cannot be used to judge her skills.

“I don’t have too many certificates. Anyway, they are not the best way to judge a student’s potential,” she said.