No HSC exams: Colleges brainstorm over admissions
MUMBAI: After the Maharashtra education department on June 3 announced to scrap the Class 12 state board or Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams for the 2020-21 academic year, colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai (MU) are busy planning the next few months.
While reopening of colleges for the current batches is their priority, many colleges are brainstorming on suggestions to the government on how admissions to undergraduate (UG) degree courses across higher educational institutes could be conducted for the upcoming academic year.
“Every year, around 80% fresh
Class 12 students and less than 40% repeaters clear HSC exam. But this year, there’ll be 100% pass percentage, which means that the government would have to ensure that all these students are accommodated in colleges,” said the principal of a suburban college.
She added that like every year, the race to the top colleges will be a challenge and possibly more chaotic than to the rest of the colleges.
With no clarity yet on whether admissions to UG courses will depend on Class 12 internal exam marks or a fresh common entrance test, colleges are trying to fill in the gaps at their own level.
“We are waiting for the government to give better clarity on how admissions can be conducted for UG courses, but we too have been planning brainstorming sessions with our staff and officials,” said Naresh Chandra, principal, BK Birla College, Kalyan.
He added that degree admissions are more tedious as compared to junior colleges admissions because of a barrage of courses available for the students, including vanilla courses as well as professional courses under the unaided sections of various colleges.
“Admissions criterion will have to be well-defined by the state to know how scores will be calculated for students in open and reserved categories, for aided, unaided courses, professional as well as vocational courses, so that chaos can be avoided during admissions and every student gets an equal chance to admissions,” said Chandra and added that autonomous colleges are still unsure if they will be allowed to conduct admissions on an individual level.
Some colleges, aware of the ambiguity surrounding exams, had ensured a series of internal exams for their Class 12 batches before the second lockdown was implemented this year. “We made sure that students attended the unit tests and preliminary exams. If future admissions depend on their internal test marks, we have them ready. We are also prepared for an entrance exam to confirm admissions,” said Ancy Jose, principal, Nagindas Khandwala Autonomous College, Malad.
On June 2, the state cabinet had taken an in-principle decision to scrap the exams after most of the ministers supported the idea considering serious concerns over the health and safety of the students. The school education department then moved a proposal to the state disaster management authority headed by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to take the final decision, which came through a day later. School education minister Varsha Gaikwad also welcomed the Centre’s decision to cancel the CBSE Class 12 exams last week.
Around 1.5 million students appear for Class 12 exams in the state every year.
The state had also cancelled the Class 10 board exams, and students will be promoted on the basis of their performance in Class 9 and Class 10.