New Delhi: Delhi University’s Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) is reportedly planning to propose the removal of Muslim reservation in admissions for a joint postgraduate programme offered in collaboration with Jamia Millia Islamia. The programme, an MSc in Mathematics Education, was launched in 2013 under the Meta University concept.
Currently, admissions to the programme are conducted through the Common University Entrance Test for Postgraduate Programmes (CUET-PG). The seat distribution policy allocates 50% seats to students admitted through DU and the other 50% through Jamia. This policy includes specific reservations for Muslim candidates, with a total of 30 seats distributed as follows: 12 for the unreserved category, six for OBCs, four for Muslims (general category), three for economically disadvantaged groups, two for SCs, and one seat each for Muslim women, ST, and Muslim OBC.
The CIC’s proposal to remove Muslim reservations has sparked discussions. An official explained the reasoning to Business Today, stating, “The idea is that there should be no reservation for any course in the university based on religion.” However, the official clarified that caste-based reservations for underprivileged groups would remain unaffected.
The official also highlighted that admissions for the MSc programme have been fully digitised, with students admitted exclusively through DU in recent years, rather than through Jamia.
“Since students are being admitted via DU, it is being considered whether DU’s reservation policy alone should apply to the programme,” the official said.
The proposal is still under discussion, with the governing body yet to make a final decision. If approved, the recommendation will be forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor for consideration. The official noted that while the original agreement between DU and Jamia did not specify a seat distribution model, the current allocation system was developed by the programme’s management committee at the time of its inception.
