Education

JU will not increase seats in UG courses to compensate hike in HS exam pass percentage

Jadavpur University or JU will not increase seats for UG courses to accommodate more students as the pass percentage increased around 9% for West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education

Kolkata, September 3, 2021: Getting high marks is not enough for the students who have passed their class 12 boards this year. Most of the students who got 90% or more are now struggling to get admission in their preferred subjects in a college of their choice, thanks to the pandemic-driven results.

Most state governments and the central government had decided to declare class 12 results based on the previous academic performances of the students. Due to this, the number of students passing their board examinations in flying colors has increased rapidly, thus creating pressure on colleges for undergraduate admissions.

The HS exam result is due to the pandemic

Talking about the high pass percentage in the state board’s higher secondary examination, he said that it was not possible to fail any students this year as no board examinations were conducted. “Last year also we could take few examinations. But this year, due to the pandemic, not a single subject examination was conducted. So it was not possible to detain anybody,” Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, the president of State HS Council said.

The overall pass percentage of the West Bengal Higher Secondary examinations is 97.69 percent, a steep rise of 8.4% on year. In 2020, the pass percentage was 90.13%. “The pass percentage increases every year. But this year, it was huge as no exams were conducted. The government is trying to accommodate the maximum number of students in the under-graduation courses,” he said.

Increasing cut-off is not the only solution against the steep rise of pass percentage in HS exam

Universities like Delhi University have increased the cut-off for undergraduate courses to 99%. On average almost, all the universities have increased their cut-off by 1.5% to 2% to compensate for the high rise of pass percentage in HS examinations.

This year due to pandemic, the colleges in Bengal will consider class 10 and 11 results. For the West Bengal board, the eligibility criteria will depend on marks obtained in class 12 practical and projects and 60% weightage of marks obtained in class 11 theory examinations. 40% weightage of highest marks from the best of 4 subjects obtained in class 10 will also be considered.

But this is not the only solution to accommodate all the aspiring students. Universities have extended their deadline for an additional week. The undergraduate admission process was extended to August 27. Both Presidency and Jadavpur Universities have received 1,000 and 5,000 undergraduate applications during the extended week, respectively. “We have received a huge number of applications for undergraduate courses. The administration will find the best way to accommodate the deserving candidates,” said Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, who is also the pro-vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University.

According to TOI, the University of Calcutta has decided to increase seats in a few of its colleges to meet the admission demand.

JU, unlike CU, will not increase the seats to accommodate HS Exam candidates

Jadavpur University, popularly known as JU will not increase its seat numbers to accommodate more students. According to Bhattacharjee, JU is currently admitting a huge number of students for bachelor courses and has a maximum intake capacity. “The university has no plans to extend their seat capacity in BA and BSc courses due to infrastructure limitations,” he added.

However, the University of Calcutta or CU has decided to extend the seats for UG courses in five of its affiliated colleges, including the Scottish Church College. The university has granted a 10% extension to the honors courses and a 15% extension to the existing capacity in general BA and BSc courses.

The only hope for these students is the passage of time. With time, the situation will be clear. Like previous years, several students have filled forms at multiple colleges. After the completion of the first round of the admission process, the candidates will have a better understanding of their chances.

Reopening of JU campus and digital education

JU will open its campus for offline education after careful invigilation of the existing situation. “We are not planning to open the campus hastily. The administration will wait for the government directive on reopening college and school campuses,” he said. The government of Bengal has recently announced that the school and colleges might reopen after the puja vacation but will be dependent on the then-existing situation.

Currently, Jadavpur University is focussing on providing equal access to digital education to all its students as the reopening of the campus is still clouded. “Like previous year, we will teach our students digitally. Every function will be conducted online,” he added.

The university will give smartphones to students who come from poor households. “JU has decided to give smartphones to students from poor households. They will fund the process on their own along with donations received from alumni,” Bhattacharjee added.

Recently, there were reports of JU students conducting classes outside the campus to protest against the closure of the campus. “It was a symbolic protest by the student union. It has no links to the administration of JU,” he added.

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Sayantika Bhowal

Sayantika Bhowal is a news connoisseur who is particularly interested in politics and human interest stories. She holds More »
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