No takers for disability quota in Delhi University (DU): India
New Delhi, July 1: Even as students find they have no seats after the first cut–off list in Delhi University. Nearly 650 seats, reserved for disabled people, are going vacant for lack of applicants.
Jai Prakash's cousin, a Delhi university student is helping him to fill the college admission form under disability quota.
''I am from Bania village in Uttar Pradesh. I am trying to get into DAV College. I have come here with my elder brother. I want to get admission into DAV college as it is close to my house. But right now I want to get admission anywhere first,'' he says.
Each year, 1000 seats are reserved for disabled students. But never has the number of applicants crossed 400.
''If the seats are going empty, it is good. It means that there are fewer disabled youngsters in the country. The pressure is reduced on every college by that percentage,'' says Professor S K Vij, Dean, Student's Welfare.
However, that's not entirely true. At least 2,500 disabled students had appeared for the CBSE examination this year. Nearly 2000 of them cleared the exam but only 320 students have applied for admission in the Delhi University.
''The problem is that parents give up on these students and after class XII, most of them prefer to go for skills courses instead of academics. For them, it is a waste of another three years,'' says Seema M Parihar, Deputy Dean, student's welfare.
Obviously students like Jai Prakash disagree. For them, higher education is necessary for a good career.
As a university known to be disabled friendly, the fact that authorities are hardly taking any steps to highlight the quota for disabled students comes as a surprise. As does the fact that despite having more than 650 seats vacant, students are being told now to go back.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com
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