Cut-off system damaging spirit of colleges: Tharoor

Voicing concern over the rising cut-offs for admissions into universities, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor today disapproved of the system, saying selection of students on a uni-dimensional basis was damaging the spirit of colleges.
"I am not a fan of cut-offs. Selections are done in a much more uni-dimensional basis and the result has pretty much damaged the spirit of colleges," Tharoor said.
He, however, said neither his ministry nor the universities could do much about it as they flowed from Supreme Court directives.
"Hands of the colleges and universities are tied by the court rulings in these matters. Students should not get afraid of the high first cut-off list as 95 per cent of the colleges take out second, third, fourth cut-offs," he said.

Tharoor was speaking on the sidelines of a Vidyarthi Panchayat, organised at Delhi University by National Students' Union Of India (NSUI) and Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) for students to raise their grievances.
Recalling his days as a student of St Stephen's College, Tharoor said admissions during his time were not so rigid and students with even third division in high school got a place in the university based on their other talents.

"Most of the outstanding students in my college were the students who had got third division in high school. But they were picked because they were most outstanding musicians, writers, sportspersons and it were these all rounded qualities the colleges were looking for," he said.

The Minister said that several bills on education reforms were pending in Parliament.
One of the bills is regarding the setting up of fourteen new universities for research and innovation.
"We also want to give more opportunities to the universities in both public and private sectors as well as those in the public-private partnership sector," he said.
Tharoor appreciated the concept of 'Vidyarthi Panchayat'. The students' event was also attended by DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh.