8,700 class XI seats go abegging

Updated on: Friday, July 08, 2011

The scenario of fewer students chasing the available first year junior college (class XI) seats continues this year. As many as 54,898 students will vie for class XI seats through the centralised admission process (CAP) in Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad, which means 8,782 of the overall admission capacity of 63,680 seats will go abegging. While the science stream has drawn 4,011 surplus applications as against the admission capacity of 20,965 seats, the arts stream has raked in a low 2,190 applications, which are 9,270 applications less than the overall intake of 11,460 seats for both the English and Marathi medium courses. Similarly, the commerce stream has drawn 5,790 fewer applications than the overall intake of 26,380 seats for both English and Marathi courses.

In all, 71,932 forms were sold between June 28, when the distribution process started, and July 6. Against this, 54,898 forms were received at the collection centres. Wednesday was the last day for submission of forms. The emerging picture is in keeping with the trend that has set in over the last few years where the science stream has drawn pleas way higher than the declared admission capacity while commerce and arts have suffered.

“We are facing a situation similar to last year’s when the education department had to sanction additional divisions to accommodate the surplus students for the science stream,” Ravindra Pardeshi, Fergusson College principal and executive president of the class XI CAP committee, told TOI. A division refers to 120 seats for a junior college attached to a senior college or 80 seats where a higher secondary school is attached to the secondary school.

Last year, 10,268 seats had remained vacant at the end of the admission process. Of the total 58,185 seats on offer, 47,917 admissions were effected. The science stream then had drawn 1,483 surplus pleas against the declared capacity of 18,535 seats. In 2009, both science and commerce had drawn surplus pleas. As against 57,460 seats for all three streams, the CAP panel had then received 51,333 applications. Following elimination of dual pleas – students applying for science as well as bifocal seats – the final count of admissions effected was 48,881.

The CAP panel, which is a multi-member body comprising heads and representatives of junior colleges in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, besides officials from the school education department, is to meet in a day or two to take a call on the surplus pleas drawn by the science stream. “We have to discuss the issue with the deputy director (education) before any final decision is taken,” Pardeshi said. The committee will have to tackle concerns relating to availability of infrastructure in junior colleges, to accommodate the surplus applicants. Unlike arts and commerce where the academic activity is confined to classrooms, the science stream activity is largely dependent on practicals in laboratories.” He, however, cited past experience while hoping that the government would sanction new divisions.

The focus now shifts to the counselling-based allotment of seats for the bifocal courses, for which the provisional merit list was to be declared on July 8 and the final list on July 10. Against an admission capacity of 4,875 seats, the bifocal courses have drawn 5,025 seats, a surplus of 150. The counselling sessions for seat allotment are to be held at the amphitheatre of Fergusson College, the main coordinating centre for class XI CAP 2011-12, from July 11 to 16 between 10:00 am and 04:00 pm every day.

Meanwhile, the CAP panel has received 2,117 applications from students under the allowed-to-keep-terms (ATKT) scheme, which was introduced two years back by the state government, as part of measures to reduce the stress on class X students.

8,700 class XI seats go abegging

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