As reported on Yahoo News on 24 January 2008:
Students move info act, DU is evasive - Yahoo! India News Students move info act, DU is evasive 
Thu, Jan 24 02:05 AM
EVER TRIED to find out how colleges in Delhi University conduct the internal assessment of their students? After Hindustan Times reported how several DU colleges were holding class tests instead of asking students to write assignments, a students' group called the Youth Task Force moved the Right to Information (
RTI) Act, asking some basic questions. But instead of providing a direct reply, DU simply handed over a photocopy of the internal assessment ordinance.
"This has been happening to many of us. Students in many colleges are being asked to write tests in lieu of assignments, which is basically in contravention of the DU ordinance on internal assessment that specifically allocates 10 per cent marks for assignments, 10 per cent for home exams and 5 per cent for attendance.
When we asked DU to tell us how many colleges were holding tests instead of handing out assignments, the university had no answer. They just gave us a photocopy of the ordinance, instead of answering our queries," said Aditya N.
Prasad, a student of Hans Raj College. Prasad is a member of the Youth Task Force.
Hindustan Times has seen a copy of the reply. The group had approached the university with some basic queries like if teachers were allowed to conduct tests instead of assignments for internal assessment, how many colleges allowed tests in lieu of assignments and if there was a monitoring committee for internal assessment.
"We had asked for the names and designations of such members if a committee existed. And also the names of persons responsible for implementation of the internal assessment rules.
But DU failed to provide us with any information," said Saurabh Sharma, a member of the group. The university has also been mum on issues like departmental action against those who failed to implement the internal assessment rule.
"The university has also failed to mention what action it plans to take to correct the discrepancy in the implementation of the policy," said Sharma. The group has decided to forward its complaint to the Chief Information Commissioner (
CIC).
"We are not satisfied with the DU Public Information Officer's reply and we are filing a complaint with the
CIC for denial of information," said Prasad.