High 90% fetches seats in top Pune colleges

Updated on: Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The cut-off percentage for admission to standard XI at prominent junior colleges in the city and neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad have gone up marginally this year keeping with the trend that was set last year following the introduction of the Best-5 policy.

The policy allows the state board students to calculate their standard X aggregate score, based on marks in the best five out of total six subjects. Last year, the cut-off (percentage point) where admission to a given college is closed, went up by 3% to 4%. It showed marginal improvement of 1% to 2%, this year.

Laxmanrao Apte Junior College was once again among the sought-after colleges, recording the highest 97.27% cut-off for science stream __ a 0.91% improvement over last year's cut-off of 96.36%. In 2009, admissions at Apte college closed at 93.84%.

The next best science stream cut-off, at 94.55%, was shared by Deccan Education Society's (DES) Fergusson College, Pune and Jaihind College, Pimpri. Last year, science admissions at Fergusson College closed at 94.20% while the Jaihind College has ended up with the same cut-off that it had registered in 2010.

In the arts stream, Fergusson College maintained its lead status with admissions closing at 90%, up by 2% over last year's 88%. Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce recorded the second best cut-off at 85.45%, a 19.27% improvement over last year's cut-off of 66.18%.

The DES' Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) remains the most sought-after college for commerce stream with admissions closing at 93.09%, up by 1.09% over last year 92%. The next best cut-off for commerce was 84.36% recorded by the Symbiosis College.

In all, 46,545 seats have been allotted in the Round 1 of the standard XI CAP, the merit list for which was released on Monday by deputy director (education) Sunil Magar, who heads the multi-member CAP committee. "All students, who applied through the CAP, have been allotted a seat. This includes 2,949 students from CBSE, ICSE and other non-SSC boards," Magar said.

The Std XI classes will commence from August 8 instead of the previously announced date of August 4. "The delay is mainly due to the issues relating to the CBSE students," he said. Last year, the legal tussle over the Best-5 policy had impacted the admission schedule and the classes finally started on August 18. "This year, we are starting 10 days earlier than last year despite the delay caused by CBSE issues," Magar said.

The CAP panel had declared an overall admission capacity of 63,680 (inclusive of the 4,875 bifocal science seats) while it received 54,898 admission pleas. The round 1 allotment of 46,545 prima facie indicates a difference of 17,135 seats between the admission capacity and actual allotment. "The difference cannot be construed as vacant seats," Magar insisted.

He pointed out, "Of the 54,898 forms received, the figure of 46,545 for the round 1 seat allotment was worked out after elimination of dual pleas. For instance, 2,269 candidates had applied for science as well as commerce stream seats and another 98 applied for science as well as arts stream seats. Yet another 505 students applied for science as well as commerce (Marathi) stream seats. A significant number of applicants also moved to the post-SSC diploma courses."

"The final position vis-a-vis vacancies will be clear only after the quota seats such as the 5% available to college managements; 20% available to junior colleges attached to secondary schools; and 50% available to colleges run by minority institutions, are accounted for at the end of the CAP process by August 8," he said.

Last year, the CAP panel had reported 10,268 vacant seats at the end of the admission process. The number of junior colleges then was 146 as against 160 this year.

Of the total round 1 allotment, 22,671 seats went to the science stream for which the CAP panel had declared an admission capacity of 20,965 seats. "The excess applicants were accommodated by allowing the junior colleges to increase their science student intake by 10% to 20% of the existing intake," Magar said.

For commerce stream (English as well as Marathi medium), 21,634 admissions have been effected as against the capacity of 26,380 seats. Similarly, 2,240 admissions have been effected for arts stream, against a capacity of 11,460 seats. The CAP panel authorities sounded sure that the commerce seats will eventually be filled by the end of the admission process in the second week of August. However, arts remains a problem area, they admitted.

Fergusson College principal R G Pardeshi, who is executive president of CAP, vice-principal Rekha Palshikar, assistant director (education) P P Sable, senior CAP panel members Jagdish Chinchore and M D Lawrence were present.

Times of India

High 90% fetches seats in top Pune colleges

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