Admissions to all age groups at DU helping elderly pursue a lost dream

For Manju Mittal, 50, getting a chance to return to her alma mater – Delhi University – after a gap of over 28 years and complete her education was like a dream come true.

After completing B.Com from DU’s Lakshmibai College in 1998, Ms. Mittal wished to pursue M.Com. But she got married in 2000, became a mother, and post-graduation remained a dream.

Her ambitions took flight again in 2023 when DU announced the Competence Enhancement Scheme (CES), allowing individuals of any age group to enrol in the courses offered by the university and earn a certificate. The CES scheme was envisioned under the National Education Policy 2020.

Ms. Mittal was a part of the first batch under the CES and got enrolled in the Financial Management course offered by the Department of Commerce.

Initial hiccups

It didn’t surprise her to be with classmates half her age, as she had expected that, but what did was the modernised classrooms equipped with air-conditioners and smartboards.

“I told my son, who was in college, that our classrooms were alike… 28 years ago, when I was pursuing B.Com, we did not have AC.”

Now that she has completed the course, Ms. Mittal has better financial literacy, which helps in her investments.

Regarding the generational gap, she said, “I did feel it at first that I might be older than some of the students’ mothers. But eventually I realised that it is a non-judgemental space.”

Earlier this week, DU opened admissions for the CES and invited applications. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi, is among the universities that have also implemented the scheme.

For Rakesh Jain, 55, a trader, who enrolled in a Psychology course in DU in 2023, it was a unique experience. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I had to overcome the generational gap,” he said. Mr. Jain has two sons, aged 19 and 23, who are currently studying.

Gaining traction

When the scheme was launched in 2023, there were only three registrations in the first semester. The next semester saw five registrations, followed by 11, 15 and 18 registrations in the successive semesters.

Prof. Sanjoy Roy, Director of the DU’s Institute of Lifelong Learning (ILLL), which is tasked with implementing the scheme, said, “We have had people of all age groups enrolling under the scheme. It started small, but the number of enrolments increased gradually as more people became aware of it.”

For students under the CES, the number of available seats in a particular course is a maximum of 10% of the total strength.

Shreyasi Singh, 23, a student of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), got enrolled in a management course in 2024 to earn extra credits and gain additional knowledge. “I took an additional course called Management Principles and Practices from the Department of Commerce, which added more value to my existing degree.” She is pursuing her PhD now.