Every day, students are forming a beeline outside these centres, seeking help in filling their online admission forms for admission to their first year of junior college (FYJC).
With the city in admission mode, guidance centres in the city have become hubs for those seeking answers about the seemingly daunting online admission process.
Every day, students are forming a beeline outside these centres, seeking help in filling their online admission forms for admission to their first year of junior college (FYJC). But many guidance centres in south Mumbai have insufficient staff to match the growing number of students and their queries.
In the Greater Mumbai region which has more than 30 top rung colleges in the city and that draws the maximum crowd of students and parents, there is only one ward officer assigned to the guidance centres in these wards. Last year, there were two ward officers assigned to this region, but this year the number has been halved.
“So far there is only one ward officer who sits at Anjuman-e-Islam School in CST. Other guidance centres have to keep calling him for every small decision that requires to be made,” said TA Shiware, principal of Hinduja College. He added, “We need a separate officer. So far, they have only one officer for A & B, C & D wards. But we require at least two officers to handle the crowds here.” This area includes Churchgate, Charni Road, Dhobi Talao, Girgaum etc. Colleges in these wards include St Xavier’s College, Jai Hind College, KC College and Wilson College.
A ward officer’s presence is significant because only he has the power to make decisions, and give suggestions to the government about the online process. “If technical difficulties arise on the website, as technical support staff, we cannot do anything about it except wait for instructions from higher-ups. Only a ward officer can lodge complaints with the deputy director’s office which is in charge of conducting online admissions,” said an in-charge of a guidance centre in Andheri.
Many colleges are using their own staff members to help out in the guidance centres. “We are using our clerks, cashiers and other officers to help students. They are familiar with the process and have taken training from the government,” said another principal from a guidance centre in Charni Road.
This could be one of the reasons why many guidance centres are not being attended to by ward officers. “We received complaints from students going to colleges in Parel that there are no ward officers there as well,” Shiware added.
However, a senior education official said, “We are aware of the shortage of staff at the centres. Many of our ward officers were busy with training and soon we will assign more officers.”
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