Delhi University Students Protest Compressed Vacation Schedule Amid Academic Pressures
Outstation students at Delhi University face significant logistical hurdles as the new academic calendar eliminates traditional week-long festival breaks. Tighter scheduling and rising travel costs are forcing many to choose between mandatory attendance and family celebrations.
Calendar Shifts Disrupt Student Travel Logistics
Delhi University (DU) students hailing from across India have voiced frustration over a revised academic calendar that significantly curtails traditional vacation periods. While the official schedule lists 72 holidays this year—a nominal increase from 71 in the previous cycle—the practical distribution of these days makes home travel nearly impossible for many. The week-long Deepavali break has been scrapped, with the holiday now falling solely on Sunday, October 31. Similarly, the Navratri break only starts on October 18, covering three days for Ashtami, Navami, and Dasara.
For students like Arnav Vaid, a BCom student at Hansraj College from Jammu and Kashmir, the financial strain is a major deterrent. "With ticket prices so high, we cannot spend ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 for a break of just five to seven days," Vaid noted, highlighting the impracticality of the new timelines for those from distant states.
UGC Mandates and Scheduling Discrepancies
University administrators defend the schedule by citing University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, which require 90 teaching days per semester. However, data from the 2025–26 session suggests a pattern of deviation. Although 71 holidays were scheduled that year, students effectively received only 53 days due to examination extensions and delayed breaks. Tusti Mehra, a History student at Lady Shri Ram College, criticized the frequent, late-stage revisions that force students to cancel travel plans, resulting in both emotional stress and financial loss.
The winter break, scheduled from December 25 to 31, offers a mere seven-day window before the even semester commences on January 1, 2027. Past precedent has seen theory examinations held on New Year’s Day, effectively erasing the winter hiatus for many departments despite what is officially promised on the calendar.
Systemic Backlogs and Internship Concerns
The academic shift is partly a ripple effect of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) implementation. Delays in the National Testing Agency (NTA) process have consistently pushed session starts later into the year. Academic faculty note that starting the session on July 28 creates a situation where admissions remain ongoing while classes are already in progress. Miranda House professor Abha Dev Habib explained that aligning a massive central university’s calendar is complex, stating that accommodating every regional festival is difficult given the scale of the student population.
- Total Holidays: 72 days scheduled for the current session.
- Effective Holidays (2025-26): Only 53 days realized out of 71 scheduled.
- Deepavali Break: Reduced from one week to a single day in the current cycle.
- Winter Break: Limited to the final week of December, concluding exactly when the new semester begins.
Beyond travel, students emphasize that shorter breaks stifle professional development. Pavani Chourasia, a third-year student at Hindu College, observed that the compressed timeline leaves virtually no room for the winter internships necessary for career advancement.
Source: The Hindu — Home
