I was amused to see in HT Horizon ‘Campus Calling’ pull out published on June 2, 2008 a replica of the Centralized Admission Form of Delhi University and the instructions about filling it. I found some of the instructions really hilarious. Students are asked to practice on specimen forms before actually marking the choices on the original. They were also instructed not to fold, crumple or mutilate the form in any manner. Students were advised to take a photocopy of the front and back pages of the pre admission form on a single page for getting it stamped as proof of submission. After all educational institutions are expected to prepare the students for harsher life ahead. These admission forms would certainly give the applicants an authentic flavour the numerous forms that Government of India would require them to fill for getting everything else in later life
Obviously Delhi University is still using outdated scanner based data entry technology. It is for the purposes of minimising read errors in the scanning process, students are asked follow all the above instructions meticulously. It is really important under these circumstances to ensure that students indicate their choices in well-formed circles made by a black pen. Spilling of ink, or leaving any other mark might actually make the form unreadable of course for the scanning machine.
In this age of rapidly changing information technology, I find it a bit out of tune that a premier central university like DU is using such outdated technology. It is possible that Delhi University had made large investments in the scanner-based data entry system. But the more important question is weather premier universities can remain technology laggards? It was heartening to hear the Finance Minister this year allocating significant amount of special funds for DU. But a more vital issue than money is the role we want our universities to play. Since their main job is to prepare the students for the life ahead, universities must be able to expose students to the latest in technology and fire their imagination
Just consider this alternative technology option. We create a Delhi University Centralized Admission Database (DUCAD). It has online forms with all the selectable options covering the entire college/course matrix. Students do not have any difficulty in making the choices, as they are required to choose from the predefined options relevant to the choice set. Students who wish to apply online can do so and obtain a unique registration number. They just carry this unique registration number for depositing certificates or fees. The receiving officers enter details of fees or certificates received and issue an automated receipt with unique ID.
I know every software company can do up to this. There is however lot more that can be done by innovative software companies. What can be done further is to convert this DUCAD database in to an offline-distributed database as well. Students as well as franchisees or others who wish to help students can download a pre-programmed module, which contains the same online application form with the entire drop down selection boxes.
Students can fill this form at leisure at home or at cyber cafes and after filling the form can either upload it online or take a copy of it in CD and submit the CD. The DUCAD system will have the facility to verify the form submitted in the CD and directly upload it in to the DUCAD database.
Of course there is one more problem to be tackled. Different colleges have own application forms besides the Centralised Admission Form. The Unique ID assigned by DUCAD would remain unique for each applicant per college. One more advantage of the offline distributed database management is that if so desired applications received by all colleges could be centrally managed. Just as the students are able to fill the applications offline without having to remain connected to any network, colleges could do all the admission work offline. They can download all the applications for admissions received by DUCAD central system in to a CD and upload the same in to their local DUCAD database and upload whatever data they are required to post on the Central DUCAD syste using the CD based single click data upload/download method
A major problem with publicly funded organisations like Delhi University is the unduly long and complex decision-making process for doing new things. I would therefore offer to develop this application free of cost and make it available only for the cost of maintenance. I would always like to sign a prospective annual maintenance contract before providing the software free. This is because I believe one of the main reasons for the failure of most of the very well intentioned government initiatives is the absence of maintenance support. There is no point in giving anything free unless there is commensurate committed maintenance budget. There is also no gain in any government organisation buying any technology or product unless these have the capacity to maintain such assets over time
