Delhi University MA History students today staged a ‘dharna’ against the change in the paper pattern for the entrance examination for MPhil.

The MA students raised slogans and signs outside the Head of the Department’s office at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

REASON FOR PROTEST

One of the main reasons for the protest is the fact that this year, the exam has only been conducted in English. When earlier, it used to be conducted in both Hindi and English, students said.

The protesting students claimed that the sudden change in the language is unfair to students from hindi speaking backgrounds and for those, who don’t come from financially well-off families. The students claimed that life already hasn’t been easy for them as most of the reading material is in English. The professors too, students claimed, teach only in English.

CHANGE IN PAPER PATTERN

Apart from the change in the language, the paper pattern has been changed, as well. Earlier, students had an option to answer 4 out of 8 questions. However, now, they will have to attempt 3 out of 6 questions.

The students demanded the suspension of the Head of the History Department Sunil Kumar and accused him of conspiring against Hindi speaking students. The protesting students claimed that Sunil Kumar was allowing ‘backdoor’ entry for his (english speaking) ‘personal favourites’.

However, the MA students refused to tolerate ‘harassment or victimisation’ and said that if the paper pattern isn’t brought back to what it used to be, then they’d even begin a hunger strike.