JNU amends grace marks for women

New Delhi: JNU has reduced the compulsory grace points given to women candidates as it amended its admission policy after nearly a decade. "Now female and transgender candidates who have pursued their education from any of the areas in JNU's list of backward areas are entitled to relaxation of four marks.

While girls and transgenders not belonging to any backward areas can get a relaxation of only two points," a senior university official said. Until now, all female admission seekers were entitled to five "deprivation" points in the entrance exam.

In addition, if they belonged to backward areas listed by JNU under quartile 1 (demarcation of backward areas) and quartile 2 categories, they got additional privilege of five and three marks, respectively.

The compulsory five points given to women were introduced in 1994. The move has drawn severe criticism from a section of students and teachers who have decided to launch an agitation against the administration. "Girls used to get an excessive advantage in comparison to male candidates.

For instance, if a girl belonged to a quartile 1 district, she would get a total relaxation of 10 marks, which will place her way above a more competent male candidate," the official said. "So, the standing committee for admissions took the decision to modify the policy after deliberating upon all factors," he said.

The students alleged that the statutory procedures for introducing such changes have been "bypassed" and no official notification of the amendments has been issued. "Any such crucial change has to be placed before the Academic Council (AC) and opinion of the members of students union has to be taken into account.

However, the matter was neither discussed nor conveyed to anybody and we got to know about the changes only from new prospectus," JNU students union vice president Shehla Rashid Shora said.