The 90 per cent reservation for state board students in junior colleges will harm deserving candidates.
That’s the opinion of most principals of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) board schools for whose benefit the proposal was mooted by the education minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil.
“A deserving student from another board who should be admitted in a good college now might not get a seat. It is sheer injustice,” said N.P. Misra, principal of Rajiv Gandhi Memorial School, Andheri.
“The SSC board is the state’s baby, so they are pampering it. This system will be harmful to Central Board Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) students,” said a principal of an SSC school in Borivli, on condition of anonymity.
“You have allowed these [CBSE, ICSE] to function in the state, overnight you cannot say that these students cannot study here.”
Other principals opine that the seats left for non-SSC boards such as CBSE, ICSE and IB, in junior colleges must based on accurate numbers.
“There should have found how many students from other boards compete against the SSC students during the admission process in junior colleges. This 10 per cent might be a lot more than required,” said Father Francis Swamy, principal of Holy Family School, a state board school in Andheri.
{{/usCountry}}“There should have found how many students from other boards compete against the SSC students during the admission process in junior colleges. This 10 per cent might be a lot more than required,” said Father Francis Swamy, principal of Holy Family School, a state board school in Andheri.
{{/usCountry}}“Some students who take their Class 10 examination from CBSE and ICSE boards may have studied in SSC schools in between,” said Misra.
“CBSE students have better prospects as their schools have Class 12. But what about others for whom it is a jolt days before the admission process?”
Principals feel that a better arrangement for other board students should have been made.
“Students and principals from schools which do not have Class 11 and Class 12 are extremely distressed. It will not be fair to play with the lives of so many students,” said Deepshika Srivastava, principal of Rajhans Vidyalaya, a CBSE school in Andheri.
Even parents are upset.
“Parents of children from the ICSE board will oppose the act if it is passed,” said Arundhati Chavan, secretary of the Parents Teachers Association.