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The Hindu
01-08-2025
- General
- The Hindu
CUET and centralised online admissions delay college access, leave thousands of seats vacant across India
For years, State governments and central universities have been conducting online admissions and counseling for professional courses such as Engineering, Medicine and Law. However, this process was not present for degree programs in Arts, Science, Social Sciences, Commerce, Management, Computer Applications, and similar fields, which traditionally followed an open admission system, individual university/college-level assessments or merit based cut-offs. To centralise admissions for central universities, moving away from their individual assessments based on traditional cutoffs or merit, the National Testing Agency (NTA) was assigned the task of conducting the Central University Entrance Test (CUET) for undergraduate (UG) programs. CUET was first introduced in the academic year 2022–23, and since then, admissions to central universities have been based on CUET scores. Apart from central universities, several States, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, have introduced their own centralised online admission portals for public institutions. While these measures were intended to streamline admissions and improve the track, they have inadvertently created new barriers particularly for students from non-metropolitan areas, and further delays in admissions through delays. The experience of students in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh. Delhi shed light on this. Toll on students, setback for government colleges in Andhra Pradesh 'It is a nightmare to sit idle at home and watch my friends join college and make new friends,' says Krishna Chaitanya (name changed), an eighteen-year-old student from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, who has been waiting for his degree admission for the past three months. Chaitanya secured 45 percent in his intermediate exams, the results of which were announced in April, but his admission to a computer science stream in a private college was denied as they no longer admit students with less than 50 percent marks. The student is thus left with the option to apply through the Online Admission Module for Degree Colleges (OAMDC), an online application initiative started by the Andhra Pradesh government to conduct admissions for Government, Aided, Private Unaided, and Autonomous Degree Colleges in Andhra Pradesh from the academic year 2020–21. However, for this academic year, although the Andhra Pradesh government has issued the Government Order (45) for admissions, it has not mentioned any dates, and is yet to open the OAMDC application process to invite students to apply to both. It's already July end, and the first semester exams are generally held by December/January. Even if the Andhra Pradesh government issues notice for first phase admission, it will take at least a month to complete the admission process. So, the colleges will have only two-three months to complete the syllabus. It is ultimately the students who pay the price, says Students Federation of India (SFI) State secretary K. Prasanna Kumar. While private colleges contest the government's decision to include them alongside government institutions in the online admission process, viewing it as a check on their autonomy, government college professors argue that although the system has helped curb some exploitation by private colleges, the online admission process would have been more beneficial for government colleges if there was sufficient demand for degree courses. Out of an estimated 4,00,000 available seats, only 1,68,000 were filled in the 2024–2025 academic year, according to an official in the education department. 'Introducing an online admission system for government colleges makes little sense when seats remain vacant due to low application numbers,' said the principal of a government degree college, who added that his institution saw only 20 admissions out of 120 sanctioned seats. In Andhra Pradesh, there are no dedicated centres to facilitate the admission process. Students, especially those from rural backgrounds who may lack awareness of how to apply, or access to digital infrastructure like smartphones or laptops, end up relying on private colleges. These private institutions often submit applications on behalf of students, prioritising their own campuses by promoting better infrastructure and promises of campus placements. In the latest guidelines, the government has just authorised colleges to collect and submit applications under the OAMDC (Online Admissions Module for Degree Colleges). This would be advantageous for the private colleges, as many government colleges lack the human resources to assist students through this process, according to a representative of the Andhra Pradesh Junior and Degree Colleges Association, who wished to remain anonymous. Technicality, glitches mar admissions in West Bengal A second-year undergraduate student from a government college in West Bengal shared that he had to travel around 10 km to apply through the Centralised Admission Portal for undergraduate courses. Despite his efforts, he encountered technical glitches on the portal, and the toll-free number provided for assistance was non-functional. He added that it is especially difficult for his other friends from non-metropolitan areas who either don't own mobile phones or, even if they do, struggle to upload documents, digital signatures, and certificates due to limited digital literacy or poor device performance. The student said that although the government advises students to seek help from Bangla Sahayata Kendras (government service centres) if needed, these centres are either inaccessible or already overwhelmed with other services such as Aadhaar updates, caste certificates, municipal tax payments, and so on. Arko Sen, a second-year Master's student in English at Jadavpur University and a member of the SFI, was part of a help desk initiative that assisted students applying to Jadavpur University and other institutions. He observed that many individual college websites were unreliable and often non-functional, offering little or no additional information. 'Some colleges display the fee structure online and allow payment through the portal, but during physical verification, students are asked to pay additional amounts,' he alleged. 'I wouldn't say a large number, but a section of students are either dropping out or moving away from government colleges to other universities and institutions,' he added. In West Bengal, the State Council of Higher Education introduced a Centralised Admission Portal starting from the 2024–2025 academic session. Admission to undergraduate courses in 17 universities and 460 government and government-aided affiliated colleges and higher education institutions is now conducted through this portal. However, self-financing/private colleges, autonomous colleges, minority institutions, and colleges offering courses in Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Crafts, Dance, and Music are excluded from this centralised system. For the current academic year, the first phase of the admission process, launched on June 17, has seen multiple deadline extensions, the latest being July 30, largely due to a legal dispute involving the OBC list. The Hindu had earlier reported that 3.2 lakh students have registered on the portal so far, out of some 9 lakh available seats. While there are several reasons behind the large number of vacancies, the situation would likely have remained the same even under an offline system, said Professor Rajeshwar Sinha of Jadavpur University. He explained that the primary reason is the limited employment opportunities in the state for students graduating in these disciplines. 'This pushes students toward professional courses or encourages them to seek admission in more reputed universities or private institutions.' 'Instead of focusing solely on online admissions,' he added, 'efforts should be directed toward creating job opportunities in various government sectors that depend on these academic streams. That is the only way to improve the gross enrolment ratio in colleges. Otherwise, we will continue to see students dropping out.' CUET disrupts academic calendar In States like Delhi, admissions to colleges under Delhi University (DU) are being considered on CUET scores. Since 2022, DU has admitted students solely based on these scores, having done away with the traditional cut-off system. The university is offering 71,624 undergraduate seats across 69 colleges and departments for this academic session. Around 93,166 seat allocations have been made against these 71,624 seats across 79 undergraduate programs in the 69 affiliated colleges. The higher number of allocations is based on past admission trends, which show that candidates often change colleges and courses during subsequent allocation rounds . As per an official from the admissions office, a total of 87,335 allocations have been made in the first two rounds of admissions so far. However, ever since CUET-based admission has been considered for the DU, about 15,000 seats have gone unfilled over the past three years, says Abha Dev Habib, Associate Professor at Miranda House, DU, and Secretary of the Democratic Teachers' Front. In 2022, about 5,000 seats went unfilled, the number rose to 7,000 in 2023, and in 2024, nearly 3,000 seats remained vacant despite multiple efforts to fill them, she added. Sohan Kumar Yadav, a student of Delhi University and a member of the SFI, shared that the CUET-UG process is complex and, by its nature, excludes students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The application fee itself is a barrier, students must pay a minimum of ₹800 to ₹1,000 to choose three subjects, and ₹350 to ₹400 for each additional subject. Students are allowed to choose up to five subjects from the 37 options available. Additionally, the registration fee for DU colleges is ₹250 to ₹100. 'Traditionally, Humanities and Social Sciences have served students from diverse economic backgrounds, those who could not afford professional courses or came from other States with a strong interest in these fields,' he said. 'But now, students feel pressured to take CUET coaching classes, which are based on the NCERT-CBSE syllabus and consist of objective questions. This disadvantages students from state board backgrounds and places an extra burden on those from rural, suburban, and economically weaker sections. Ultimately, only those who can afford coaching are able to secure seats.' Speaking about the vacant seats, Ms. Habib noted that delays have consistently plagued the CUET-UG process, disrupting university academic calendars and contributing to rising vacancies, even in highly sought-after central universities. 'Earlier, we never heard of vacant seats in some of the best colleges,' she said. 'Just imagine, at St. Stephen's College, one-third of the seats in the Physics department are lying vacant. In Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, another campus college, Physics seats are going unfilled.' Ms. Habib further explained, 'If admissions are only through CUET, the local population is often not applying. And students from outside don't always view these colleges as attractive enough to pursue admission, especially when faced with constant delays. If results are declared late and the admission cycle overlaps with NEET or JEE, science students face a real crisis. The pressure from families to opt for a NEET or JEE instead becomes overwhelming.' 'In earlier years, students would take admission by the end of July. They would start attending college, make friends, and could convince their families to let them pursue a passion, like Physics or Chemistry honours. But now, with delays in results and admissions, students don't get to visit the college or experience campus life. This disconnect makes it harder for them to make a case for continuing in these fields,' she added.
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Mobility for cities of tomorrow focuses on sustainable transport in Madhya Pradesh
At the Madhya Pradesh Growth Conclave on Friday, a pivotal session was conducted on 'Mobility for Cities of Tomorrow', focusing on sustainability, emission reduction, affordability, and accessibility of public transport . The speakers discussed current transport facilities in India, innovations, and alternatives to fuel-run vehicles, including electric, hydrogen, and ethanol options. They also explored routes like waterways and airways to divert traffic from the roads. Additionally, they addressed ways to reduce pollution, costs, and accidents while integrating modern infrastructure to ensure end-to-end connectivity. There was a strong emphasis on increasing the use of electric vehicles , including heavy vehicles that contribute significantly to pollution. Therefore, the number of sellers (manufacturers and dealers) must be increased through incentives and other means. The speakers informed about the govt's incentive to boost the sale of electric vehicles. Furthermore, the speakers highlighted crowd management as a priority, including at bus and railway stations, ensuring adequate use of road space by removing encroachments and illegal parking, increasing women's participation in the system for gender equality, and the proper use of data. They also encouraged not hesitating in experiments, innovations, and the use of modern technologies to improve the traffic and transport system. They stressed that experiments are underway to produce hydrogen and ethanol-run vehicles, but it will take time to build the required infrastructure and integrate technologies for them. MP Metro Rail Corporation Limited MD Krishna Chaitanya mentioned that some ropeway projects are underway in MP, along with Metro Train projects in Indore and Bhopal. However, he noted that water routes for transportation are yet to be fully explored in MP and, thus, are not currently part of considerable plans for the mobility of the near future.
