Class 12 admissions to Mumbai colleges to take place offline

The state government has announced that admissions to Class 12 in colleges in Mumbai region will take place offline.

In a letter to principals of junior colleges, the deputy director of education (Mumbai) said for academic year 2018-19, all Class 12 admissions will be conducted at the college level.

The government had earlier mooted conducting these admissions online through a centralised admission process (CAP), on the lines of Class 11, or first year junior colleges (FYJC) admissions. The move was aimed at making Class 12 admissions transparent and curbing malpractices such as donations and non-merit-based admissions.

Many students who want to change their college after class 11 were eagerly waiting for the government directive on admission procedure. A group of 13 Class 11 science students from Bhausaheb Hire College, Andheri, recently sought a transfer to nearby Bhavans College after the former closed its Science stream. However, they were asked to wait, as there was no clarity on the admission process. “Our problem has been solved,” said one of the students.

The students, however, cannot seek transfer to a different college at will. A student can change college if their residence is far from the college, if their parent has been transferred and their residence has changed. Students who want to change their stream or education board, or those with medical issues, are also allowed to seek a transfer.

According to activists, the number of students changing their college after Class 11 has risen drastically in recent years as many students who were unable to get a college of their choice in first year junior college (FYJC) seek transfers.

Activists claim that offline admission for Class 12 is a way to subvert the online FYJC admissions. “The government authorities permit these transfers without much consideration, despite stringent conditions required for such admissions,” said Vaishali Bafna of System Correcting Movement (SYSCOM), a Pune-based organisation.