Confusion looms large over FYJC admissions

The state education department is set to introduce several changes to the admission process for first year junior college (FYJC) for the academic year 2017-18, after massive confusion in past years.

Parents and activists are still sceptical about the new system being error free and benefiting majority of students. Activists are concerned that colleges still have a right to conduct admissions to in-house and management quota, outside the centralised admission process, as this could lead to malpractices. Concerns have been raised over marks to students for excelling in art, music and culture, instead of creating a separate merit criteria for them.

Experts say students could miss out on the colleges of their choice with provisional admission being done away with. A student who is allotted the college of his or her choice will mandatorily have to secure admission in that college, and would be out of the admission process.

Students who missed out on their first choice, but got through the second choice, will get a betterment option for another attempt in the second round of admissions at the preferred college. However, if denied again, the student will no longer be allowed to move back to the earlier allotted college.

While the education department has started training schools and colleges, awareness about the changed admission rules should reach all students and their parents for the process to be smooth and error free. There needs to be a grievance redressal mechanism during admissions, in the absence of which students and parents will have nowhere to go, as in the past.