NewDelhi: Delhi University (DU) is planning to make a huge policy change for the academic year 2025-26, and one seat in each postgraduate course will be reserved for single girl children who have been clearly defined as the only daughters of their parents. The Academic Council will discuss this proposal at its meeting, which is scheduled for next Friday.
The new scheme is an addition to the successful introduction of a similar quota at the undergraduate level that has been in place since the 2023-24 academic year. Through this scheme, DU has already accommodated 764 single girl children in 69 colleges. If this new scheme is approved, it will apply to all 77 postgraduate programs in the university, and thus, women can take admission under this provision.
Postgraduate admissions at DU take place through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) followed by a Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). In the previous cycle of admission, which was 2023-24, more than 90,000 applicants applied for about 13,500 postgraduate seats.
The university officials relayed that the primary aim of this initiative was to induce single girl children to enter higher education courses. Besides this quota, DU also sets aside seats for different categories, such as sports, persons with disabilities, children of armed forces personnel, widows, and orphans.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has also extended its support to such single girl children with the help of the scholarship scheme, which is provided to those who perform excellently in Class 10 exams and are the only child in their family. Through this scheme, the students who meet the criteria will be supported with 500 rupees every month for a year.
This forward-looking step taken by Delhi University is a step towards their wider commitment to promote gender equality and empower women through education. The talks concerning the implementation of this quota still go on, and many who are hopeful presume it as the path for additional opportunities for single girl kids in higher education.