NO FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE

There will be no first-come, first-serve (FCFS) admissions for first-year junior college (FYJC) admissions this year, according to the new guidelines issued by the state education department on Tuesday. These guidelines are released to simplify the FYJC admission process, shift to completely online procedures and give an equal chance to all students to secure seats, on account of the hurdle posed by the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

According to a government resolution (GR) dated June 23, 2020, there will be no FCFS rounds this year. Instead, special, merit-based rounds will be conducted, depending on the availability of seats.

An official of the state education department said, "We have scrapped the FCFS rounds this year because we do not want students to lose the opportunity to secure seats if they are not the first to apply. Students are facing all kinds of delays due to the lockdown and hence we want to award merit-based admissions." FCFS rounds are usually conducted after general admission rounds, where students can opt for vacant seats in colleges if they apply before other applicants.

In addition, this year, the quota for students with special needs has been increased from the existing three to four percent, while that for the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) has been reduced from the current 16 to 12 percent.

Students opting for bifocal courses will have to apply through general admission rounds because the state has scrapped zero rounds for these courses. The officer added, "There will be no zero rounds for bifocal courses. Students will have to apply for admissions in general rounds and choose their elective subjects."

Due to the lockdown situation, the entire admission process will be conducted online. Students can upload documents, pay fees and check merit lists online. The GR states, "FYJC admission guide booklets will be sent to students in pdf format, through online mediums and mobile apps."

The state aims to begin the FYJC admission process from August, after Class 10 exam results are declared by July-end.