Over 70 pc of undergraduate seats go unfilled in state-run colleges of West Bengal

Kolkata, Sep 25 (PTI) More than 70 per cent of first-year undergraduate seats in West Bengal's state-run colleges are vacant even after two rounds of counselling for admission, an official said on Thursday.

There are a total of 9,36,215 undergraduate seats in state-run and state-aided colleges in the state. While 4,21,301 lakh candidates had registered in the centralised admission portal, only 2,69,777 got admitted, filling up 28.81 per cent seats, he said.

In comparison, last year, 4.44 lakh seats were filled, he added.

In the first phase of counselling, 2.30 lakh students were enrolled, while in the second phase, over 39,000 students got admitted, according to the official of the Higher Education Department.

"The situation is unusual but not unexpected as the delay in completion of the admission process made a section of students apprehensive and opt for autonomous colleges or private institutions," he said.

Asked if there will be another round of counselling after the Durga Puja vacation, the official said it would disrupt the academic calendar.

Lady Brabourne College principal Siuli Sarkar told PTI that less than 50 per cent of the 630-635 seats in her college are vacant, which is unusual.

"Many seats in Economics and Statistics are yet to be filled. I am getting emails from candidates who could not make the cut but are willing to get admitted after the necessary screening. Since the entire admission process was centralised, we hope something is done to address the issue and fill the vacant seats," she said.

Sarkar said that besides the delay over the OBC reservation issue, the lack of interest among students in conventional subjects has contributed to the decline in the numbers this year.

TMC students' wing president Trinankur Bhattacharya told PTI that he was hopeful the situation would improve after Durga Puja, with alternative options being considered by the government, including allowing the colleges to start direct admissions.

"Many students were not familiar with the online procedure and might have faced difficulties. The impasse over the OBC issue also created uncertainty among a section of students, who might have opted for private colleges and universities," he said.

Meanwhile, another Trinamool Chatra Parishad leader said undergraduate seats remaining vacant are not new, but this year, the situation is grave due to the delay in starting the admission process over the OBC issue.

Admission to undergraduate courses in the state-run colleges began in August after the Supreme Court stayed a Calcutta High Court order on the state's OBC list.

West Bengal College and University Teachers' Association (WBCUTA) member Subhoday Dasgupta alleged that the policies of the TMC government in the state and the BJP-led government at the Centre were "destroying public-funded education".

"Such things are the fallout of the decisions of both governments at the state and the Centre, forcing people to opt for private colleges," he claimed.

Dasgupta, a senior academic, claimed that while college dropout rates increased during the pandemic, "pro-elite policies" of the two governments also contributed to making higher education inaccessible to the general public.

"If the public-funded educational institutions come under attack, the quality of education declines. We heard about the existence of threat culture after the rape and murder of the doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital; a similar culture has been prevalent in higher educational institutions for a long time. The dip in college admission should be seen through a wider prism," he said.

PTI SUS SOM