State reopens FYJC admissions; 800 students still without seats

The decision follows a ground survey, which revealed that around 800 students across Maharashtra have still not secured admission in any college

Mumbai: The school education department is conducting a special round of First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions from December 10 to 16, following the completion of first-semester exams. The decision follows a ground survey, which revealed that around 800 students across Maharashtra have still not secured admission in any college.

State reopens FYJC admissions; 800 students still without seats

After college management associations raised concerns about vacant seats in rural areas after the shift to a fully online admissions system, the education department asked the concerned officials to identify students who had missed out on seats. “After the ground survey, we received data of 800 students who are seeking admission. To give them an opportunity, we decided to run a special round,” said Shriram Panzade, joint director of secondary education.

This is the first year the state has implemented online admissions for FYJC across all districts. Despite the expanded system, several students, particularly ATKT (Allowed to Keep Terms, a conditional promotion policy in Indian higher education letting students advance to the next academic year despite failing a few subjects) candidates who cleared Class 10 in July, were unable to secure seats earlier.

According to a notification released by the education department on Wednesday, the special round is set to take place from December 10 to 16, Aspirants are required fill their forms by 10 am on December 11, after which colleges will be publishing vacancy details. Students can then select their preferred options. Following this, the allotment list will be released on December 13, and the candidates are required to confirm admissions by December 16.

A principal from a Thane rural college said many students sought admission after the process closed on October 16. “We received several queries, but we were helpless,” he said.

The decision has drawn criticism. Jalindar Sarode, working president of Shikshak Sena, said, “This is the failure of the online process run by the department. After four months of Class 11 lectures, the government has now decided to allow students to take admission. How will the students cope with academics, and who will take responsibility for them?”

Mukund Andhalkar, president of the Junior College Teachers Association, reiterated the demand to discontinue online admissions, especially in non-metro areas. “We have been demanding offline admission since the admission season started. There is no need to introduce online admission, especially for non-metro areas. We are demanding that the online admission process for all districts across the state be halted,” he said. Headed that the students who would secure admissions in the special round, after semester one examinations, will struggle to complete the required academic hours and said the department must set clear deadlines for FYJC admissions like other higher-education courses.