ICSE students relieved

Minutes after the Bombay High Court struck down the state's Best-Five policy for junior college admissions, students and parents from ICSE schools streamed out of the court complex smiling. Bhavya Dore reports.

Minutes after the Bombay High Court struck down the state's Best-Five policy for junior college admissions, students and parents from ICSE schools streamed out of the court complex smiling.

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The HC ruled that admissions would have to be conducted based on the previous practice of counting all subjects that students appeared for in the board exams.

"We're very happy with the verdict," said Varun Chelani (16), a Bombay Scottish School student who spent all day on Monday and Tuesday in court. "All we wanted was all students to be treated equally, and that is what will happen now."

The court was hearing a petition filed by parents of students from ICSE schools challenging the state's Best Five policy as it extended to SSC students alone, for admissions to junior colleges. It's a case of third time unlucky for the state; in the past two consecutive years the HC had struck down the percentile and 90:10 policies.

"Justice has been done," said Dr CV Hegde, one of the parent petitioners, whose son studies in Campion School at Cooperage. "We thought there was an anomaly in the government's order and wanted it to be extended to us too. Now the court has found the Government Resolution (GR) to be bad in law and so it was struck down."

Junior college admissions will now be based on the total number of subjects students appear in, across boards. This means ICSE students' average will be based on seven subjects, SSC students' on six and CBSE students' on five.

"For years, each of these boards' students have been admitted on the basis of all the subjects, so we are happy that this will continue to be the practice," said Padmini Hariani, whose son studies in Hiranandani Foundation School at Powai.

ICSE school principals were also pleased with the verdict. "Children from all boards should be treated uniformly," said Perin Bagli, principal of Activity School on Gamadia Road. "There should be mutual discussions between boards and a uniform policy for everyone." Udaipur (16).