Assam Students Stare At Disorganized Enrollment

GUWAHATI: A large number of students who recently cleared the Classes X and XII examinations under different education boards will soon end up taking admissions in multiple colleges due to the non-existence of a central admission process in Assam.

Unlike the other States particularly Delhi University, Assam does not follow a central admission process and many students end up taking admission in several colleges, thereby wasting their money and leaving many seats vacant in different colleges.

For example, in case a student wants to study in Cotton University (formerly Cotton College) but is not very sure of a seat, he or she also applies for institutions like B. Borooah College, Handique Girls’ College which usually admits undergraduate students, so as not to waste an academic year while waiting. When the student gets a seat in Cotton University he takes admission there, leaving a seat vacant in B. Borooah College or Handique Girls’ College.

The number of such vacant seats becomes more than 100 in the leading city colleges here, forcing them to organize a second round of admission after commencement of regular classes. The need for a centralized admission process or a proper admission schedule was raised several times at high-level meetings with senior officials of the State Education department. Unfortunately such meetings failed to reach at any consensus.

“The existing admission process in the colleges of Assam is largely disorganized. As the universities are yet to implement a centralized admission system, the students are seen applying in multiple colleges for admission,” said a teacher of a city college. He said the colleges must declare their cut-off marks on their websites ahead of admission as it would help students to take a decision.

The Assam College Principal Council said there should be an admission schedule making admission in students’ most preferred colleges first. “If the government or the vice-chancellor of a university or even the deputy commissioner in case of some districts takes the initiative to prepare such an admission schedule, we are willing to cooperate,” a Principal of a leading college here said.

He said the principals of the 15 provincialised colleges under Kamrup (Metro) district meet before the admission process to work out a schedule, but Cotton University does not take part in it as it is a government college.

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