State board students are not happy

Loud cheers of "hip hip hurray" were heard in the Bombay High Court as the controversial 90:10 quota plan of the state government for junior college admissions was scrapped today.

Anxious students dressed in jeans and T-shirts from ICSE, CBSE, and other non-SSC boards packed the courtroom waiting for the verdict.

Dhruv Shah, an ICSE student who attended the hearing, said, "I am thankful that our efforts will not go waste. I have applied to several top colleges such as Sathaye, Jaihind, and Ruparel. Now I don't have to settle for second best because of an illogical policy."

The Association of ICSE Schools in Mumbai (AISM), which had supported parents' groups in filing the public-interest petition, was grateful for the court's intervention. Carl Laurie, member of the AISM and principal of Christ Church School, Byculla, said, "We are glad on behalf of our students. However, we just hope that the division created by the government between state board students and other boards does not grow deeper."

But students from the state board were not happy. Ankit Salve, a student of Don Bosco School, Matunga, felt that his chances of securing admission at a top college are negligible now. "I am upset with this decision because even we worked hard," Ankit said. "Thanks to the disparity in the marking system, ICSE students will again end up with the best seats."

The PTA United Forum, which had filed an intervention on the 90:10 quota, is now considering its next step. "We will discuss what legal action we can take," said Arundhati Chavan, president of the forum. "The government had worked hard on making the 90:10 policy. But problems of state board students have been ignored."

Parents of ICSE students who had mobilised support through sites like Facebook and Orkut were busy posting the good news. "The court finally upheld justice. Hope this is taken as a lesson by the government so that next year it will come up with a better method of bridging the gap," said Vandana Korti, a parent.