Sports quota for medallists, not high scorers: jr colleges to govt

City junior colleges are demanding that students holding international and national sports medals should be given preference over those with higher marks in the 3% sports quota in First Year Junior College online admissions for 2013-14.

City junior colleges are demanding that students holding international and national sports medals should be given preference over those with higher marks in the 3% sports quota in First Year Junior College online admissions for 2013-14.

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Currently, students are given a preference on the basis of marks even in the sports quota. This means a student scoring 80% in Class 10 board exams, who has played sports at the state-level has a better chance of getting into a college than a low-scoring student who may be a national or international-level sportsperson.

Though the core committee of the Association of Junior College Principals has approved the change, a final decision will be taken after consulting experts.

“The current rule is unfair because if the number of candidates applying is more than the number of available seats, high scorers with poor sporting achievements get preference under the sports quota, while students who really excel in sports are left out if they have not scored well,” said TA Shivare, head

of the association and principal, KPB Hinduja College, Charni Road.

“In a meeting with JS Saharia, additional secretary of the school education and sports department, and others, the core committee approved the change. But the government has not issued any circular,” said Shivare.

When contacted, Saharia said, “We have been looking at this issue for three to four months, but we are yet to take a decision.”

Sarjerao Jadhav, chairperson, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said, “The government has to decide if preference will be given to marks or sporting achievements.”

He added, “If they choose to give sporting achievement, they have to decide whether medal holders or winners of international, national, state tournaments will be chosen over those students who have only participated in such tournaments.”