Latest news with #MaheshPalkar
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Poor network, heavy traffic slow down FYJC admission process across state
Pune: Four days after its revised launch, many parents continue to report problems accessing the portal for the online application process for First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Teachers said the situation is bad in the rural areas, where poor internet connectivity and limited access to resources are making the process even more difficult. Director of secondary and higher secondary education Mahesh Palkar said, " We met on Thursday and all education officers were instructed to tell headmasters of secondary schools to open a guidance centre in their schools. Problems are arising because students don't know how to fill up the form. Within a day, all schools will start guidance centres to help their students to fill up the forms. This will streamline the process. " It has been a rough time, Nishant, a parent, said. He had a harrowing experience despite having high-speed internet access at home. "I was anxious when the forms were not getting submitted. I cannot imagine what children from rural areas are facing. I have been trying to fill up the forms since Monday, but there were a host of problems. I made three payments and was able to get confirmation only on the last one despite money getting debited three times. I am waiting for the refund. Part II of the form was not opening for a long time. It did last night. There is complete lack of clear instructions. The helpline numbers are useless. They all go into call waiting and finally get auto-disconnected. I have tweeted about this to the CM as well as the education minister," he added. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Ahmednagar-based Kakasaheb Walunjkar, a quality inspector in Rayat Shikshan Sanstha with 70 schools under him, said that he knows of cases where not even a single form could be submitted the whole day. He said either the website is not working, or there is no internet in the area. Students who live in remote places come to the nearest cyber cafes to get their forms filled but struggle in the monsoon. "Despite spending money and sitting for hours, their forms don't get submitted, or their payment gets debited but there is no confirmation. All this is leading to chaos. Govt should have ensured that when they rolled out the portal the second time, the work was smooth and there were enough people appointed for problem-solving," he added. Urban places like Panvel and Navi Mumbai also face similar problems, said Tushar Mhatre, a teacher from Navi Mumbai. "Children from urban poor families are spending hard-earned money in cyber cafes with no output. Not everybody knows about online payment, so these cafes are also fleecing them," he added. Head: 7.4L Register On Portal The admission process set to begin on May 21 was mired in technical issues that caused the website to crash the very first day Officials were forced to revise the schedule and push the start date to May 26 By Thursday afternoon, 7.41 lakh students registered on the portal against a vacancy of 18.87 lakh seats in 9,375 junior colleges and schools offering Std XI and XII across the state There are delays in submitting Part 2 of the form, payment issues, and the monsoon is adding to the chaos for students in rural areas who cannot reach the nearest cyber cafes A teacher helping in the process said in some cases, only two forms get submitted in an entire day due to weak network and the website struggling under heavy traffic
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Government gives status quo on teachers appointment policy
Mumbai: In a significant reprieve for thousands of students and teachers across Maharashtra, the state government has temporarily halted the implementation of the controversial Sanch Manyata policy. The move comes after the Bombay High Court ordered a status quo on the government resolution (GR) dated March 15, 2024, which had sought to revise norms for teacher appointments in government schools. The Sanch Manyata policy had triggered widespread opposition from educators, parents, and activists. A key clause restricted teacher appointments in schools with fewer than 20 students—regardless of the number of classes or grades being taught—effectively allowing just one teacher to manage multiple classes in such institutions. The rule impacted nearly 18,000 government schools across the state, many of them in rural and tribal regions. Critics argued the policy was not only impractical but also a direct violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which mandates equitable and quality education for all children. A group of 13 parents from Wardha district filed a public interest litigation, drawing statewide attention to the issue. The Sanch Manyata policy had replaced earlier guidelines that ensured subject-specific teachers were available for different classes. During a hearing on May 5, the High Court directed the government to maintain the status quo until further orders. In compliance, the Director of Secondary Education, Mahesh Palkar, issued a circular on Wednesday instructing all education officers to suspend implementation of the new policy. 'All education officers are hereby directed to maintain status quo regarding the Sanch Manyata GR until further notice,' the circular stated. Sharad Gosavi, Director of Primary Education, later confirmed that these instructions were communicated to district officials during a review meeting held on May 21. The decision has been welcomed by teacher unions, though they maintain that the fight is far from over. 'This is a small victory. We will not rest until this GR is completely withdrawn,' said Vijay Kombe, president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee. Since its introduction in February for the 2024–25 academic year, the policy has sparked a series of protests and demonstrations in districts such as Wardha, Ratnagiri, and Satara. Educationists and local leaders have repeatedly warned that the policy disproportionately affects students in rural areas, compromising both teaching quality and learning outcomes.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Maharashtra FYCJ admission 2025 schedule revised: Check list of important dates here
Maharashtra FYCJ admission 2025: The Maharashtra School Education and Sports Department has issued a revised schedule for First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions 2025, with the online registration process now set to resume on May 26 at 11 am. The update follows a massive technical failure on May 21 that disrupted the admission portal within an hour of launch, prompting authorities to halt the process and rework the timeline. According to the revised schedule, students seeking Class 11 admission will have until June 3 to register and complete their applications at The move comes as the state conducts FYJC admissions through a centralised online system for the first time, covering over 20 lakh seats in 9,281 junior colleges across Maharashtra. Maharashtra FYCJ admission 2025: Important dates Candidates must keep track of the important dates as mentioned here to avoid missing out on any key event: Process Date Registration window opens May 26 Registration closes June 3 Provisional general merit list June 5 Objection/correction window June 6–7 Final merit list publication June 8 Zero Round quota admissions June 9–11 College allotment list display June 10 Document submission & enrolment June 11–18 Overload triggers system failure Education department officials confirmed that nearly 1.5 million students attempted to access the portal simultaneously on the original registration day, leading to a system crash that sparked panic among students and parents. The directorate was forced to suspend the process and announce a fresh schedule after taking into account widespread technical complaints. Mahesh Palkar, Director (Projects), School Education Department, stated in an official note that the revised dates were finalised after receiving feedback from students, parents, and education experts. To prevent the spread of misinformation and protect students from fraudulent admission portals, the department has launched an official WhatsApp communication channel. Verified updates, deadline alerts, and instructions regarding FYJC admissions will be shared via this platform. Academic year and policy changes The government has authorised junior colleges to begin the academic year on July 1, provided they fill at least 50% of available seats. Colleges unable to meet this threshold must commence classes by the official deadline of August 11. Meanwhile, a new directive affecting in-house quota admissions has drawn criticism from several institutions. Under the updated guidelines, only 10% of seats will be reserved for in-house students—down from the earlier 20%. Eligibility has also been restricted to students from secondary schools located within the same premises as the junior college and operated by the same management. Critics argue that the change could adversely impact city colleges, especially in urban areas like Mumbai, where space constraints make it difficult for institutions to house both schools and colleges under one roof. Invest in Their Tomorrow, Today: Equip your child with the essential AI skills for a future brimming with possibilities | Join Now
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
First time, students can select college while applying for FYJC admission: Palkar
In a first, students seeking admission to First Year Junior College (FYJC or Class 11) in Maharashtra will have a choice to select any college from across the state while submitting an admission application online as online Centralised Admission Process (CAP) is extended across state. At the same time, if a candidate fails to provide supporting documents, including valid marksheet at the time of verification; he/she will be barred from the process until the last round of admissions. As the CAP for FYJC opens for practice session for students' registration on Monday, Mahesh Palkar, Director of Education (Secondary), Maharashtra speaks to Pallavi Smart to clear doubts about the process while highlighting important aspects for aspirants to be cautious about. Is there any change in the FYJC admissions this year? Starting from the academic year 2025-26, Class 11 admissions across the state will be conducted through the online CAP, unlike the past, where online FYJC admissions were limited to five regions — cities in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune-Pimpri Chinchwad, Nagpur, Nashik, and Amravati. Aimed at bringing uniformity and transparency to the admission process across the state, there will be a single portal, as opposed to previous practice of one dedicated portal for each region. Candidates will have the liberty to choose any junior college from across the state in their options of colleges filled in the admission application in order of their preference. For example, a student in Mumbai will also get to submit an admission application for a junior college of her choice in Pune through the single portal. Even as the online CAP is extended to the entire state, the technical process remains the same. What is the process? In the first phase, aspirants seeking FYJC admissions should register on the portal – Practice session for registration will begin on May 19, official candidate registration will begin on May 21 and will continue till May 28. Students are given log-in details through the information booklet circulated via their respective schools. The information booklet is also available on the portal. At the time of applying for admissions, candidates have to choose minimum one and maximum 10 junior colleges in order of their preference. After completion of the application registration, a provisional merit list will be out on May 30 and a final merit list will be out on June 3. Round zero of merit-based seat allotment will begin on June 5 with declaration of seat allotment. Candidates will then have until June 12 to confirm admissions. If a candidate is allotted a seat in the first preferred college, he/she has to confirm admission. In case they fail to confirm, they will lose the allotted seat and will not be allowed to participate in the subsequent round. On June 14, details of vacant seats will be declared on the portal for the beginning of the next round, which will follow the same process again. The system will conduct multiple rounds of admissions as per merit-based seat allotment. After all this, there will be a special round title – 'Open for All' round, a new feature from this year. What about reservation policy in FYJC admissions? FYJC admissions abide by the reservation policy as prescribed by the Constitution and the state government. Candidates are required to refer to the information booklet for complete details on seats available under various categories of reservation. Additionally, there will be seats under minority, management and in-house quota in junior college. These admissions will start from June 6. What should the candidates be careful about while participating in online CAP for FYJC? Apart from fake websites and incorrect information circulated digitally by unverified sources, there could be individuals assuring admissions. Candidates and their parents need to know that the official admission portal is the single source of admission as well as information on the FYJC admission. This year there is a dedicated helpline for FYJC admissions – 8530955564. Candidates can call on the helpline All junior colleges have been instructed to conduct thorough verification of documents at the time of admission. This process may also include an additional layer of verification by a senior admission authority, if necessary. Candidates who fail to provide valid proof for any information submitted in their application—including a valid mark sheet—will be disqualified from participating in all regular admission rounds. Such candidates will only be eligible to participate in the final special round, which will be conducted for the remaining vacant seats. Is there any opposition from junior colleges in rural areas, leading to a smaller number of them registering for FYJC CAP? No formal opposition has been submitted to this office in writing. The registration process for junior colleges is in its final phase, and over 9,000 junior colleges across the state have already completed it. There are 2,043,254 seats available for FYJC admissions across the state that includes 8,52,206 seats under science stream whereas 5,40,312 and 6,50,682 seats in Commerce and Arts stream respectively.
