Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that the state government has asked the Centre to do away with certain provisions in the Delhi University Act, as they impede the starting of new colleges in the national Capital. Kejriwal said he had written to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in the matter.

“Students are facing a tough time getting enrolled in colleges because of high cut-off marks,” Kejriwal said during a virtual press briefing. “With cut-offs touching 100%, what will happen to students who secure 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%? The problem is that the number of seats in colleges and universities in Delhi has failed to keep pace with the increase in the number of applicants.”

Kejriwal said that every year, 2.5 lakh students graduate school in Delhi, but only 1.25 lakh manage to get admission in colleges. “Currently, Delhi University has 91 affiliated colleges, Indraprastha University has 127, there are nine universities under the state government and then there is Jawaharlal Nehru University,” Kejriwal said. “We need to start more colleges and universities in Delhi. The Delhi government is ready. But there is a legal issue we confronted.”

He said that according to the Delhi University Act brought in during British rule, any college started in Delhi has to be affiliated with the university. “In 1998, an amendment was introduced in the Act and Indraprastha University was accommodated for professional courses,” he said. “But that has reached a saturation point too.” For this reason, it is necessary to change the law, he added.