High cut-off marks is due to demand-supply mismatch: Sibal

Updated on: Friday, July 29, 2011

The controversial 100 per cent cut-off marks this year for admission in certain streams in Delhi University is due to the demand-supply dynamics and a solution to this lay only in expanding the educational infrastructure, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has said.

“If the demand is much greater than supply, then the cut-off will go high automatically. It’s an institutional issue,” he told PTI here.

“If there is one Sri Ram College of Commerce and everybody wants admission there, what solution can I have?” he asked.

Mr. Sibal, who had earlier termed the high cut-off as “irrational”, said a solution to the problem lies in expanding the educational infrastructure across the country.

“Government cannot set up all the education institutions, universities and colleges. So, the private sector must play an important role in the years to come and we want expansion of private sector in education sector,” he added.

The high cut-off marks, including 100 per cent in Sri Ram College of Commerce, one of Delhi University’s famous colleges, for admission this year had triggered a major row last month with a majority of students and parents coming out against such a yardstick.

Stating that fixing the cut-off at 100 per cent for non-Commerce students is also a reflection of the prevailing education system based on discipline, Mr. Sibal stressed on reforming the system.

Mr. Sibal said: “We must change this concept of a commerce steam, an arts and a science stream, because it suggests a science student should only do science and not history.”

“When mind has no boundaries, why knowledge should have boundaries? Once we get rid of these boundaries and expand the education sector, some of these problems will be gone,” he said.

Asked what steps the government is taking to fill OBC seats amid reports of a large number of them going vacant and subsequently transferred to general pool, the Minister said “We have given a directive that none of the seats will go the general category”.

He said the Ministry will ensure that 27 per cent OBC quota is filled up.

“We have also said if the marks are less than 10 per cent (the relaxation limit), you go below the 10 per cent.”

Elaborating on the issue, he said the Supreme Court order did not lay any rigid limit for relaxation of percentage for OBC category.

“If you get 100 per cent and for OBC category it becomes 90 per cent, the guy with 89 per cent cannot get in. That would be a very unfair interpretation of the Supreme Court judgement because the Supreme Court did not imagine this kind of scenario,” he said.

High cut-off marks is due to demand-supply mismatch: Sibal

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