No seat for SSC topper in first merit list

Sakshi Rajwani learned the school reset her online form on June 16 while submitting it, which erased the details keyed into it

With a score of 99.8%, the highest in the city in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, Sakshi Rajwani was a shoo-in for Class 11 admission to any college of her choice. Instead, she did not get a seat in the first merit list declared on Monday. Reason: An error by the school left her application blank. This could cost her an academic year if uncorrected.

The first merit list to First Year Junior College was declared in Mumbai on Monday. (Hindustan Times)

A heartbroken Sakshi, from Sacred Heart School, Kalyan, approached the state’s education department on Tuesday to inquire into the incident. She learned the school reset her form on June 16 while submitting it, which erased the details keyed into it. “The site history shows her form was reset from a school log in,” said an official, who investigated the complaint.

Sakshi stands to lose her academic year if the glitch is not corrected because all First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions — through the open category or quota — are being done online this year. It is mandatory for students to fill in registration and option forms online on the admissions portal.

“I do not understand how this happened. I filled the online form through the school and even received a message confirming it was submitted successfully,” said Sakshi, who could not stop crying over the phone. “I never imagined I would be left without a seat after such high scores.”

Sakshi suspected something was amiss with her application when her name was not shown in the general merit list ranking the applicants announced on June 20. The highest score on the list was 99.4%. “I approached the school authorities on June 21, but they did not respond to my complaint,” she said.

The school authorities, however, denied having reset the form. “Once the results are out and the forms are filled, the school has no role to play. Why will we tamper with the form anyway? We feel really sorry for the students and hope the issue is rectified,” said Albin Antony, principal of the school.

Education officials said Sakshi should have approached them sooner. “We had asked students to make corrections to the forms on June 21 and June 22, but now it is too late to change the form as it will disturb the ongoing admissions,” said BB Chavan, deputy director of education, Mumbai region.

Chavan said she will be able to apply to colleges again only after July 15, when the admission process gets over. “In the counselling round, we will decide how to accommodate the students left without a seat,” he said.

But this means she will not get admission to a college of her choice, said Reena, her mother. “She wants Vaze-Kelkar College because it is close to home, but once all the admissions are done, the seats to all the good colleges could be full,” said Reena.