October 20, 2020: As per Delhi University's new initiative, candidates seeking admission in Philosophy programs of DU do not have to face marks deduction in the best 4 subjects. 

Until last year, the admission process for Delhi University in UG course as of Philosophy had to face marks deduction of 2.5% in their best four subjects. But with the new proposal, DU has finally dropped the marks deduction criteria for students seeking admission in Philosophy programs. 

In 2019, Delhi University’s Philosophy faculty members requested the Department authority to take steps against marks deduction during the admission process for Philosophy candidates. 

The request was made to the Department Head of Philosophy, Dr Balaganapathi Devarkonda, and later considered and approved by Delhi University authorities. 

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Referring to the request approval, Dr Balaganpathi Devarakonda said, "I am glad that the university responded positively to our request and students will not face lessening of 2.5% from this academic session".

Geetesh Nirban, the assistant professor of Philosophy at Kamala Nehru College said," It was irrational for aspiring students to lose marks for seeking admission in Philosophy for no fault of theirs”.

Marks deduction rule makes Philosophy the second-best option 

Schools in the country have optional subjects for higher secondary classes such as Physical Education, Fine Arts, Psychology, and Economics, but Philosophy is not included, stated Geetesh. 

Some of the top subjects for candidates are Political Science, Sociology, Economics, and Psychology. Psychology is considered to be the second-best option to be considered by the candidates due to the marks deduction rule. 

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In 2020, the Department of DU expected more students to choose Psychology as the cutoff for general category candidates was in the range of 88-95%. 

Geetesh Nirban, the assistant professor of Philosophy added," The first semester is usually dedicated to introducing the basics of Philosophy to students." 

Philosophy is known to be a rare program in India. In north-east Odisha, only 4 to 5 schools have added philosophy as a subject in higher secondary classes. 

India: Most Schools do not offer Philosophy as a subject

Students do not have a philosophy as a subject in most schools, the first semester of the philosophy program’s main focus is to familiarize students with philosophy basics and importance. 

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Referring to the importance of Philosophy in Schools, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Kamala Nehru College stated that there's a need for students to learn about philosophy and thoughts associated with the mind, values, knowledge, and existence. 

As most entrance examinations or competitive examinations consist of Reasoning Ability sections, philosophy should be considered as one of the prominent subjects for schools. 

Philosophy is a wide subject that includes many interesting topics such as Aesthetics, Ethics, Logic, Reasoning, and many more. These topics add a perspective and serve as an important aspect of life, stated Geetesh Nirban.

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