Delhi University’s SOL students can again shift to regular colleges

NEW DELHI: After a gap of 10 years, the students of Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) will again get an opportunity to migrate to regular colleges in their second year. This will be possible due to the transition of SOL to the semester system and the implementation of the choice-based credit system (CBCS).
Earlier, the move was possible as both SOL and the regular colleges followed the annual mode.But after the semester system was introduced in DU’s 63 colleges in 2010, the SOL students were left behind. Again in 2015, CBCS was implemented in the regular colleges, but not in SOL.
SOL, which offers five undergraduate courses, has close to two lakh students. The DU executive council approved the transition earlier this month. An SOL student scoring 60% and above in the final first-year examination will get a chance to migrate to a regular college.
Ramesh Bhardwaj, the officer on special duty, SOL, told TOI, “Earlier, many students who didn’t score well in their Class XII exam and had taken admission in SOL could migrate to any DU college. As many SOL students come from the underprivileged section of the society, they should be offered a level-playing field,” Bhardwaj added.
The official said that though the administration had thought of postponing the implementation by a year, he insisted on its immediate introduction. “I told them that the process had already been delayed.”
According to Bhardwaj, SOL students should also get to study the updated syllabus. “GST has been implemented and the syllabus has been updated under CBCS. But SOL students are still studying VAT and sales tax. The English (hons) syllabus has changed thrice for other colleges, but not for SOL,” he said.
Although SOL students initially protested against the semester decision, they changed their mind on Thursday following a meeting with the SOL authorities. They have now demanded regular classes, distribution of study material as per CBCS and proper infrastructure.