The Covid-19 virus has had unexpected effects. In the sphere of education, there was much agony about online lessons, newly modelled examinations, admission processes and, overall, unfamiliar futures. But none of this could be considered unexpected during the spread of the virus. What has come as a surprise is the decision of Delhi University to introduce five reserved seats for each college affiliated to it independent of the accepted quota laws. Candidates who are five per cent or at most 10 per cent short of the cutoff mark of the college for that particular subject would be chosen for these ‘discretionary’ seats. Three names from the college and two from the university — that is, from the college principals and the vice-chancellor respectively — would go to a committee of Delhi University in what is expected to stand in for a show of transparency. The rationale is that the pandemic may have caused undeserved slips from the required standard, and a few seats should be reserved for such candidates.

There has been an outburst of objections from teachers and principals as well as from Right and Left students associations. The decision is being seen not only as arbitrary but also illogical: there is no defined procedure by which to select just those candidates affected negatively by the pandemic. How can an incontrovertible connection be established? ‘Discretion’ is subjective and opaque. There appears to be no educationally attuned reasoning behind the university’s decision, which has led many to suspect that a ‘management quota’ is being created. The university has denied this but the grounds for objection in principle are plentiful, and these are being voiced by different segments invested in fair selection and high standards. The choice of five would be dependent on personal decisions of people powerful in the administration, thus undermining the system of lawful reservations. Such arbitrariness threatens excellence. More, this is a route to corruption — sweeteners or nepotism or promises of quid pro quo could determine who gets in. This is apart from the fact that DU colleges have made 25 per cent expansions for economically weaker section reservations with no increase in infrastructure. But in this case, practical problems are secondary to the ones in principle. The university has not addressed those questions yet.