Students can choose a subject of choice, but are there enough seats?

Over 50 students of Standard 12 pursuing science in Ruia College at Matunga were denied permission to choose psychology as a subject over mathematics. These students had opted for mathematics in Standard 12 but wanted to shift to psychology in the next year for the board exams.

The students met Vinod Tawde, the minister for school education, higher and technical education, on Monday to discuss this issue. Tawde said students had the right to opt for the subject of their choice and the college could not compel them to choose a particular subject.

After protest by students along with their parents, around 30 students have been allowed to drop mathematics. Tawde said the college had no right to make compulsion of any other subject. The principal of Ruia College said the college can accommodate students for any particular subject according to availability of seats.

Suhas Pednekar, principal of Ruia College, told Free Press Journal, “The students generally have to study the same subject for both the 11th and 12th standards. If the students wanted to shift to psychology they should have opted for it in the 11th standard. We cannot accommodate students according to their demands but only according to availability of seats based on merit.”

The number of seats for the psychology subject are limited. Around 20 students are still in a fix as they have not been given any directions.