Economic Times, Sept 23, 2010
BHUBANESWAR: At a time when Orissa is emerging as the education hub in the eastern India, non-filling of more than 15,000 seats in engineering colleges and 2000 seats in MCA programme exposes the state government’s failure to put up a good show in counseling and lackadaisical approach of some government officials.
As the final counseling session for engineering candidates in Orissa ended recently, an alarming number of 20,000 seats from the available 37,893 seats have been left vacant. Similarly, from the 3,675 seats available for the MCA programme, around 2000 seats have been left unoccupied, official sources said adding that even if the management is allowed to fill up their quota of 15% seats, more than 15,000 seats will remain vacant in the colleges in this academic session.
The Orissa figures come in sharp contrast with the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh where around three lakh students took admission in 630 colleges this academic session. The colleges in Andhra Pradesh rely on their own state and Orissa to fill up seats. Whereas Orissa, despite having a number of feeding states such as Jharkhand, Chhattishgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, fail to have full-capacity students.
According to informed sources, some “unfamiliar” processes like e-counseling, gaps in communication and sudden changes of counseling dates deprived huge number students in taking admissions in the colleges.
“The procedure of e-counseling stood as a major bottleneck for rural students who are not either not exposed to computer networking or lack e-infrastructure. Absence of proper communication through print and electronic media also played its role. Most of the students could not know till the last moment in which colleges they have been selected to get admission,” said Antaryami Badu, joint chairperson of Aryan Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Sources said – in some instances - suspected hijacking of passwords by government appointed nodal officers also resulted in much harassment to students and parents. The nodal officials – using the hijacked passwords – sent students deserving admission in standard colleges to some poorly managed colleges. This kind of irregularity saw that many colleges not getting good enrollment of students while others walked with many.
The students and engineering colleges had alleged that the options registered by students had been tampered with. On this allegation, the board has assured to investigate into the matter.
"The investigation regarding the irregularities in e-admission is going on," Industries Secretary Sourav Garg said.
Following allegations of tampering of best option registered by students, the Orissa private engineering college association [OPECA] had demanded re-counseling. Accordingly, two spot counseling for admission into engineering, MBA, MCA and other technical streams were conducted on August 21 and 22. Only 2200 seats in engineering colleges were filled up.
General Secretary OPECA Binod Das said, “non-filling up seats will have indirect ramifications on Orissa’s future economy. Orissa will not have adequate share in the technical job market.
Mr Das further demanded that the private colleges be allowed to fill up the vacant after all counseling is exhausted within the prescribed norms. He also demanded to hike the AIEEE quota to 25% from the existing 15%.
“Besides, after completion of one-round of JEE counseling, all vacant seats, including the ones reserved for NRIs, should be handed over engineering colleges to fill up the vacant posts,” Mr Das said adding that the state government in its affidavit filed recently before the Supreme Court had nearly agreed to our view points.
Sources said that the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), which controls the private engineering colleges, is not in favour of holding a second Orissa Joint Entrance Examinations on the ground that it lower the standard of education. Despite repeated attempts, BPUT registrar Dr Achyutananda Acharya could not be reached for his comments.
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