Students of the Department of English at Delhi University, continued their protest on Wednesday against the implementation of the Continuous Assessment (CA) system introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP).

The demonstration, which began on Monday at the Arts Faculty, North Campus, saw students blocking the department gate on Wednesday, demanding changes to the recently announced CA schedule.

Late implementation sparks outcry

According to students, the decision to implement Continuous Assessment was communicated to them in the first week of November, soon after the autumn break. They claimed that the department had been aware of the new assessment system since September but implemented it late, overlapping with the ongoing Internal Assessments (IAs) and increasing academic pressure.

Initial sit-in and HoD response

On Monday, students had staged a peaceful sit-in for four hours outside the Department of English, seeking a discussion with the Head of Department (HoD), Professor Anjana Sharma. While the HoD expressed sympathy for the students’ concerns, she maintained that the department was not responsible for the policy’s implementation and did not agree to change the CA dates.

The protest intensified today, with students blocking the department’s entry and exit points after learning that the HoD was on a two-day leave. The university’s Proctor’s Office intervened and agreed to hear the students’ demands. An application was drafted and submitted to the HoD through Associate Professor Prerna Malhotra, who acted as an intermediary.

Students’ core demands

The students’ key demands included the cancellation of presentations scheduled for Wednesday, acceptance of group write-ups instead of individual submissions, and an extension of deadlines for CA submissions until November 26. However, no resolution was reached by Tuesday evening.

According to students, Professor Malhotra later informed them that the HoD had rejected their demands, calling the form of protest “outrageous.”