Delhi University’s newly released tentative date sheet for the upcoming semester exams has sparked sharp criticism from teachers and academic council members, who have flagged serious scheduling conflicts that could disrupt both teaching and examination processes. The exams, set to begin on December 10, 2025, and continue till January 30, 2026, clash with the scheduled start of the next semester’s classes on January 2, 2026 — creating a one-month overlap that many teachers have called “academically unworkable.”
Exams and classes to run parallel in January
According to the date sheet published on DU’s official examination portal, the end-semester exams for undergraduate programmes will cover regular, School of Open Learning (SOL), and Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) students. However, with even-semester classes beginning on January 2, teachers have raised alarm over how colleges can manage full-fledged classes while examinations are underway.
“This is a matter of great concern. There will be a massive overlap of one month of both regular classes and exams in January 2026,” said Mithuraj Dhusiya, member of the Academic Council.
“While in the recent past, DU attributed such overlaps to a staggered academic calendar, what has happened now when there is no such staggered structure? How can students appear for exams and attend classes simultaneously for an entire month?” he asked.
Dhusiya also questioned the feasibility of conducting offline classes during the examination period. “Do colleges have the infrastructure to hold both classes and exams simultaneously for one whole month? DU’s official stance is that classes for regular courses are held offline, yet it gives tacit approval to online teaching during such overlaps,” he added.
Faculty call out ‘poor planning’ and academic chaos
Echoing his concerns, Abha Dev Habib, Secretary of the Delhi Teachers’ Front (DTF) and Associate Professor at Miranda House, criticised the university’s scheduling as “reflective of poor planning and disregard for academic integrity.”
“Lakhs of students are supposed to take exams and attend next semester’s classes simultaneously. Teachers are expected to teach, invigilate, and evaluate at the same time,” Habib said.
“With SOL and NCWEB exams held alongside, there will be an acute shortage of space, forcing many colleges to move classes online. The university should ideally extend the winter break until the exams conclude.”
Several faculty members have warned that the overlap would compromise the quality of education, delay evaluation, and overburden teachers. The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) is reportedly preparing to take up the issue formally with the Vice-Chancellor.
‘A theatre of the absurd,’ say teachers
Adding to the criticism, Rudrashish Chakraborty, a DUTA Executive member, described the situation as “a theatre of the absurd.”
“Clearly, we are not teaching in a university—it’s a circus all over the place,” Chakraborty said. “As per the tentative date sheet, the entire month of January will be consumed by end-semester examinations of regular, SOL, and NCWEB courses. Even if colleges shift classes online, students will be preoccupied with exams, meaning one full month of learning will be lost.”
He added that teachers are being stretched beyond capacity.
“Faculty members will have to clone themselves four times over—to teach, invigilate, evaluate, and conduct practicals simultaneously. It’s impossible to maintain quality or focus in such conditions,” he said.
Call for revision and academic stability
Teachers’ groups have urged the administration to revisit the calendar and extend the winter break so that the next semester starts only after the completion of the exam schedule. They have also demanded a return to a synchronized academic calendar, which was disrupted during the pandemic and has yet to stabilise fully.
Many argue that such overlaps not only strain staff and students but also undermine DU’s academic standards—especially for laboratory-based and project-heavy courses that require focused classroom instruction.
As criticism grows, the University has not yet issued an official clarification on whether the date sheet will be revised. However, faculty members warn that without timely intervention, the chaos could affect teaching quality, student attendance, and even delay results, further compounding the backlog.