Delhi University witnessed an exceptionally high student turnout for its ongoing winter semester examinations on Wednesday. The exams, conducted under the National Education Policy (NEP) and the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS), saw a staggering 2,28,781 candidates appearing for various papers, marking one of the largest single-day figures in the current examination cycle.
SOL Students Form Significant Chunk of Examinees
A notable highlight of the day's proceedings was the substantial participation from the university's distance education wing. The School of Open Learning (SOL) accounted for a significant portion of the examinees. Out of the total, 65,413 students were from SOL undergraduate programmes, with an additional 2,002 from its postgraduate courses. This collective figure means that SOL students made up nearly 30 percent of all candidates who sat for the exams that day.
In contrast, regular undergraduate courses saw 1,61,366 students appearing. No regular postgraduate examinations were scheduled for Wednesday, further amplifying the SOL's share in the day's academic activity.
Examination Load and Session-Wise Breakdown
An internal status report from the university's examination branch revealed that a total of 904 different question papers were administered throughout the day. The academic load was not evenly distributed across sessions. The morning slot bore the brunt of the activity, requiring 795 separate papers. This included 775 papers for regular and Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board (NCWEB) undergraduate courses, and 20 papers for SOL undergraduate programmes.
The afternoon session was comparatively lighter, involving 109 papers, all at the undergraduate level. This distribution was reflected in the student attendance as well. The preference for morning exams was clear, with 1,52,476 students appearing at 9:30 AM. This was more than double the 76,305 candidates who took the 2:30 PM papers.
Detailed Attendance Figures Across Sessions
A granular look at the session-wise data provides a clearer picture. The morning slot accommodated 1,52,476 candidates, which included 1,08,122 regular UG students, 43,467 SOL UG scholars, and 887 SOL PG examinees. The afternoon shift saw 76,305 students, comprising 53,244 regular UG, 21,946 SOL UG, and 1,115 SOL PG candidates.
University officials reported that the examinations proceeded smoothly across all centres. However, they acknowledged a minor logistical hiccup mentioned earlier in the week. On the preceding Saturday, the university had stated that while around 800 papers were scheduled for a morning session, a few could not be dispatched to certain centres due to logistical issues and consequently could not be conducted.
The massive scale of Wednesday's examinations underscores the vast reach of Delhi University and its affiliated institutions, particularly its open learning platform, in delivering higher education across the National Capital Region and beyond. The successful conduct of such a large-scale exercise under the new NEP framework is being closely watched by academic administrators nationwide.
