It'll be a relief, but

Updated on: Monday, February 08, 2010

The State Higher Education Department's decision to introduce a centralised admission process for admission to undergraduate degree courses in Bangalore and Shimoga on a pilot basis from the academic year 2010-11 has evoked a good response from many private college managements as well as students, even though some private unaided colleges have their reservations.

However, there are certain issues, mainly related to fee structure and sharing of seats, that the Department needs to look into before actually launching the scheme to ensure that it does not turn out to be another annual confusion like the process of admission to medical, dental and engineering courses.

Private college managements have agreed with the claim of the Department that centralised admission will provide a relief to the students, who are now running from one college to another seeking admission. The students, at present, are forced to buy application forms from different colleges by paying a huge fee soon after the results of the second year pre-university exams are announced. Also, the students and their parents end up travelling from one end of the city to other to buy the application form and to submit it. Next, they need to visit each college to see whether they have been selected or not.

Ticklish issue

Another problem faced by the students at present is non-refunding of fees paid at the time of admission in a college where they first get selected. The college refuses to refund the fee in the event the student wants to leave the institution, before commencement of classes, after securing admission in another college of his or her choice. Due to this many students end up losing a lot of money.

Higher Education Minister Arvind Limbavali says the objective of the centralised process is to reduce the burden on students who have to cough up huge amounts while applying to multiple colleges that come under the same university.

As per the proposed plan, the Department will have to prepare the list of colleges that come under the centralised admission process, the number of seats available for admission in these institutions, and the number of seats reserved for students belonging to socially and economically backward classes. Depending on seats available and on the basis of ranks allotted according to marks obtained by the students in the second year pre-university exams, seats will be allotted.

Big help

Bangalore University First Grade College Principals' Association General Secretary B.S. Srikanta says the centralised process will help poor and meritorious students to find a seat in a good college without much difficulty.

“Many college principals and management representatives supported the idea during a recent meeting with the Higher Education Minister. However, the modalities of such an admission are yet to be worked out with the college managements as well as the Department. The issues to be covered include seat-sharing formula with private aided and unaided colleges and fee structure,” he pointed out.

Fee structure

Meanwhile, principals of many private unaided colleges, who preferred anonymity, pointed out that the fee structure for different courses will be a crucial issue that requires to be sorted out before adopting the process.

“Admissions to degree colleges, which are running smoothly at present, may turn out to be chaotic in the event of differences between the Government and the college managements every year. The centralised admission can be launched only after addressing all such issues,” one principal felt.

Some college managements have informed the Department that the process can be tested only in the popular courses such as B.Com and BBM, where there are more aspirants than seats, and not in other courses.

Reservation of seats for students belonging to socially and economically backward categories will be another issue which the unaided institutions would wish to discuss with the Government before taking a decision.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Department is exploring the possibility of conducting the centralised admission through the Karnataka Examination Authority. Apart from 19 government and 44 private-aided colleges in Bangalore, there are about 250 unaided institutions.

The success of the new scheme will depend on how many of these unaided institutions will agree to it, and also depending on how the Government tackles the issues pertaining to fee structure, seat-sharing and reservation of seats in these institutions.

At a recent meeting of Higher Education Department officials in Bangalore, the Government decided to entrust the Commissioner of Collegiate Education, Nagambika Devi, with the task of working out the modalities for the new process.

It'll be a relief, but

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