MillenniumPost
Editorial

Formidable cut-offs

It was standard thinking of the yesteryears that a degree is one's ticket to a job. But in these rapidly changing times, a degree is not necessarily a testimony of education, nor is it a certain means to get a job. Learning at higher levels is pursued largely as a social affair as those who enroll are the ones who can afford it, most others drop out. The economic aspect of learning at higher levels is increasingly being disconnected from its intended outcome. People applying for jobs are in proportion much greater than the number of jobs actually available. With colleges continually raising their standards of academic expectation with regard to entry-level marks, the quantum of excellence thus assessed is far greater than the avenues available to absorb them. University of Delhi releasing its 8th cut-off list only tells this story all over again. The nationally renowned Hindu college, for instance, pegs the score at 97.62 for Economics, one of the most sought-after courses at this university. For Hindu college, General category students who could not manage the overall minimum score of 97.62 per cent are ineligible to qualify for admission in the flagship institution. It is reported that 63.9 per cent seats are reserved for the economically weaker section and 52.2 per cent seats for Scheduled Tribes are still lying vacant. It goes without saying that for excellence to be displayed at a certain level, adequate preparations must be made at all levels preceding it so as to lend value to such systems. But quite the reverse actually happens. School education is still awaiting reforms and improvements and popular colleges are left with no choice but to keep up with their limited capacity by raising cut-offs to allow only the top-most scorers. Surely, making education learning-based and making learning relatable at all levels will effectively address the nagging problem of unemployment of contemporary times.

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