Junior college admissions in Mumbai: Despite good Class 10 results, few students from state board in top spots
Despite the number of students scoring 90% and above in their Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations of the state board increased substantially this year (a 191% jump from 2019), students from the other education boards dominated top berths in junior college admissions in the city.
Data from the provisional general merit list for first-year junior college (FYJC) admissions has revealed that of the top 100 students in the merit list for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), only 35 are from state board schools. While 52 students are from the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, 13 are from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Even among the top 50 students in the merit list, only 20 were from the state board.
The state education department announced a provisional general merit list on its official website earlier this week. This year, 2.42 lakh students have applied for admissions to 3.20 lakh seats in MMR. Of these, 19,437 have scored 90% and above – a 20% rise from 2019. Similarly, 3,802 students have scored 95% and above, which is a surge of about 28%. While students from the state board make up over 90% (2.21 lakh) of the total applicants for FYJC admissions, when it comes to the top spots, they are still less in comparison to that from the other boards.
Experts said that the other boards have a higher number of top scorers because the number of students studying in these boards is increasing in the city.
“Earlier, we had only a few CBSE and ICSE schools in the city, but as the number is growing, so are students who are opting for these boards. Thus, the competition is bound to increase,” said Ashok Wadia, principal of Churchgate’s Jai Hind College.
The number of students from ICSE schools applying for admissions in junior colleges seat went up from 7,881 in 2019 to 11,110 this year. The number of CBSE students also increased from 5,969 in 2019 to 7,708 this year.
“With so many top scorers vying for a select few colleges, competition is bound to get tougher. Not all high scorers would get the college of their preference,” said the principal of a suburban college.
The first merit list for FYJC admissions would be declared on August 30. This year, the admission process will be ‘zero contact’ due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Students will get text messages on their phones, and colleges will also release a list of selected students once the merit list is announced. Students will be able to check the college allotted to them through the FYJC admission portal.
2.42 lakh Total applications
Board-wise applications
2.21 lakh SSC
11,110 ICSE
7,708 CBSE
1,300 IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education)
992 NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling)
545 Others
Percentage-wise comparison
95% and above
3,802 2020
2,974 2019
90% and above
19,437 2020
16,188 2019
FYJC seats bagged by students
Top 100
52 ICSE
35 SSC
13 CBSE
Top 50
24 ICSE
20 SSC
6 CBSE
