Delhi University invites bids from private players for online entrance test

The Delhi University (DU) has invited bids from private players for conducting 'Online Computer-based Entrance Test' for different courses across 18 cities for the upcoming 2018-19 academic year. The test is for select under-graduate and all post-graduate, M Phil and Ph.D courses.

The online entrance test will be held for admission to "select under-graduate, all Post Graduate, M Phil and Ph.D courses", an e-procurement notice issued by the the university said. The bidder will have to conduct the exam, handle its administration, logistics and process results and give it to the university, it said.

Following criticism from student circles, the DU last year had shelved its decision to hold online entrance tests for its M Phil, Ph.D and PG programmes as it felt conducting these along with the offline format was not feasible.

"Question paper will be objective-type with multiple choice questions of two hours duration. Medium of the test would be English or Hindi or both and will be conducted in three shifts -- 8-10 am, 12-2 pm and 4-6 pm," the notice on the DU website said.

The last date of submission of the bid is March 8, and the bidder has to pay an earnest money of Rs 25 lakh, the notice said. The chairperson, admissions committee, Maharaj K Pandit or the officials in the examination wing could not be reached for comments.

Delhi University Students' Union president Rocky Tuseed said an option for offline process should also be made available. "We are not against the online entrance exam but there should be offline process as well. All students may not be in the capacity to know the online entrance procedure and how to give online test," Tuseed said.