Delhi University’s recently released date sheet for semester exams has sparked outrage among teachers for major scheduling overlaps.
As per the schedule, the classes for even semesters are overlapping with the new semester classes, making it difficult for teachers to manage teaching and examination duties.
According to the schedule hosted on Delhi University’s examination portal, semester exams for undergraduate programmes will begin on December 10, 2025, continuing till January 30, 2026.
However, the classes for even semesters of the programmes are set to commence on January 2, resulting in a month-long overlap between ongoing exams and new semester classes, news agency ANI reported.
Teaching and examination duties overlap
Teachers have flagged it as a major overlap that could end up disrupting the teaching and examination process.
The Delhi University Teachers’ Front (DTF) and several Academic Council members said that this will make it impossible to manage teaching and exam duties at the same time.
“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,” Mithuraj Dhusiya, member of DU’s Academic Council, told ANI.
He questioned that earlier DU had claimed that such overlap is due to a staggered academic calendar, but “what has happened now when there is no staggered academic calendar?”
He also asked how the students can appear in exams and attend classes simultaneously for an entire month.
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‘No infra to run exams and offline classes’
Dhusiya further questioned the feasibility of running offline classes with exams simultaneously, asking whether colleges have adequate infrastructure to run exams and hold classes for one month.
DU’s official position is that classes for regular courses are held offline, yet there is its tacit approval to colleges for online classes during such overlaps,” Dhusiya said.
Similar concerns were expressed by Abha Dev Habib, Secretary of the Delhi Teachers’ Front (DTF) and Associate Professor at Miranda House, who said that the calendar reflects poor planning and disregard for academic integrity. She said that lakhs of students are expected to take exams and attend next semester’s classes at the same time. Teachers are supposed to teach, invigilate and evaluate at the same time.
He said that with SOL and NCWEB exams set to take place, there will be an acute shortage of space, which will force colleges to move classes online. He also urged the university to extend the winter break until major exams conclude.
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One month ‘wasted’
Calling the situation “a theatre of the absurd”, Rudrashish Chakraborty, an elected member of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) Executive, also spoke against the new schedule. “Clearly, we are not teaching in a University! It’s a circus all over the place,” he said.
Chakraborty emphasised that since the entire month of January will go into conducting semester exams, including exams for SOL and NCWEB, even if colleges conduct online classes, students will be busy with exams. This will lead to wasting of an entire month without teaching.
Teachers are now urging the university to revisit the calendar and restore academic order, warning that the current overlap will compromise the quality of teaching and learning and also delay the results.