Even as the process for applying to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) 2010 of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has begun, figures from JEE 2009 reveal that 137 seats meant for candidates with physical disabilities (PD), got wasted. The reason is that not enough disabled candidates qualify, and these seats cannot be converted into general seats.
“Unless the rules are changed and the IITs are allowed to transfer the vacant PD seats to general or non-PD seats within the category, we will not be able to stop this loss,” said Anil Kumar, JEE 2010 chairman, IIT Bombay.
As per a judgment passed by the chief commissioner for persons with disabilities, IITs were directed to treat disabled candidates on a par with scheduled caste (SC)/scheduled tribe (ST) candidates and give them similar relaxation from 2009, including admission for preparatory courses.
Currently, 3% seats in each category [general category, SC, ST and other backward classes (OBC)] are reserved for disabled students in each IIT. While the total number of PD seats in 2009 across all IITs was 251, only 138 candidates could qualify at the JEE, despite 12% more disabled candidates taking the exam as compared to 2008.
“Despite the 50% relaxation for PD candidates (from the last general candidate), only 44 could be given admission across all the IITs. This left around 207 seats unfilled,” said Kumar.
To make up for the shortfall, scores of PD candidates were relaxed by another 50% to enable candidates to qualify for the preparatory course, which was started for disabled candidates in 2009.
In case of OBCs, 51 seats across the IITs in 2009 were converted into general seats due to unavailability of OBC students even after giving full 10% relaxation. Again, over 1,000 seats for SCs and STs which remained vacant were transferred to the preparatory course and were filled after lowering the bar by 50%.
IIT Guwahati director Gautam Barua said that a resolution was adopted at the last joint admission board meeting that the PD commissioner should be approached for possible conversion of PD seats to general category in future. “However, the issue is complex since there are certain PD seats within SC and ST and these cannot be converted,” said Barua.
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