NEW DELHI: It’s Delhi University at its classic worst. Two entrance exams, both conducted by DU, are scheduled for the same day.

At the receiving end are the students, who have now approached the controller of examinations for help. Those affected include aspirants for the masters in financial control programme - conducted by DU’s financial studies department - and the global business operations programme, which is offered by the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). Both are specialised post-graduate courses, with the entrances scheduled for January 23. And neither of them is willing to budge.

aid Muneesh Kumar, head of department, financial studies: “We had announced the dates more than two months ago, in fact, in October. This was before SRCC came out with its announcement. Besides, theirs is a college and can change the dates, we can’t.” It’s an argument that SRCC principal, D K Mittal is also peddling. “It’s not in anyone’s interest to change the date at this stage, it will only create more confusion.”

When asked why the matter wasn’t resolved earlier, Mittal said: “Such things happen. After all, there are a large number of institutes that conduct entrances. Some are bound to clash.” But within the same university system? While the SRCC principal refused to comment on it, Kumar said: “Ideally speaking, those interested in the GBO programme should not sit for the MFC course anyway.”

Caught between the two are students like Gaurav Srivastav, who has applied to both the examinations. “It is not just the money that will be wasted. It also means I am being denied an opportunity,” he said. In fact, some students have even applied to the controller of examinations for help. Admitted Kumar: “We did get a letter from the controller of examinations about the clash in exam dates. We have sent a reply stating our inability to change the date.”