Calcutta, July 9: Most of the 300-odd undergraduate colleges in the state have yet to complete the admission process to the first year BA, BSc and BCom courses, pouring water over efforts to ensure that these institutions have a minimum of 180 teaching days every year.

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education announced the results of this year’s examination on June 8 in conformity with a Supreme Court directive.

The main objectives of the apex court order that the results should be declared early were to ensure uniformity in commencement and completion of undergraduate courses in colleges across the country, according to education department officials.

The government had asked the council to publish the results by June 10 to ensure colleges complete the admission process by the first week of July and, thus, have more teaching days. However, most institutions have planned to begin first-year classes only by the first week of August, said sources in the state’s higher education department.

“There were more than four lakh examinees in HS examinations and the results were declared within 43 days of the completion of examinations. It is surprising that the colleges will take 58 days for completing admissions as most colleges will begin first-year classes on August 1,” said a senior teacher of a college.

Calcutta University has also expressed concern over the “long time” taken by colleges to complete the screening of applications.

“Past experiences reveal that a college generally receives a maximum of 1,800 applications forms for admission to a course. Most colleges are equipped with computer facilities. Why are the colleges taking such a long time to sort out admission forms?” asked a senior official of Calcutta University.

The authorities at the university, which has 200 colleges affiliated to it, had raised the issue at its undergraduate council meeting last week and decided to send a circular to all the institutions asking them to complete the admissions by July 25.

The university, according to sources, has also asked the state-level body of college principals to hold a meeting and find measures to expedite admissions to colleges.

However, the general secretary of the principals’ council, Kalachand Saha, claimed that most colleges have completed 90 per cent of the admission process and are working overtime to start first-year classes as early as possible.