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| Students browse the website of the higher education department for e-admission updates in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati |
Bhubaneswar, April 22: The Odisha Government College Teachers’ Association today asked the government to streamline the e-admission system, which started in 2009.
The members proposed the higher education department to constitute a grievance cell to redress problems faced by students in the online admission process.
The members said e-admission did not guarantee the allotment of hostel facilities to the candidate.
“Even after the applicant applies for a hostel seat through the common application form system, the process does not guarantee a seat,” said Manas Behera, general secretary of the association.
The members also suggested that awareness drives be conducted at the high school level so that the applicants got a better understanding of the e-admission. Sources said nearly 32,000 common applications were rejected last year because applicants failed to submit a hard copy of the form at the nearest student academic management system resource centres, which was mandatory for the online admission.
The association also said the government must ensure a tamper-proof system “Last year, we had received several allegations of private institutes, in nexus with cyber café operators in remote areas, altering the college options available in the e-admission system,” said BJB Junior College principal S.N. Mohanty. He also said that the government’s plan to provide only one college as option this year should be done away with. Last year, the candidates could choose six colleges for admission.
The e-admission system was introduced in 60 junior colleges in 2009. Last year, as many as 1,307 junior colleges and 162 degree colleges were included in the e-admission system. Over 3.53 lakh and 91,786 candidates applied online for plus two and degree courses respectively.
The Odisha Government College Teachers’ Association, which conducted a workshop called “Quality higher education: problems and prospects” today in the city, also put forth their demands such as filling up of vacancies, better promotion of junior lecturers, abolition of temporary posts and better infrastructures for the development of higher education in the city. Sources said nearly 50 per cent teaching and non-teaching posts were lying vacant in various colleges of the state.
Higher education secretary Aparajita Sarangi assured to look into the suggestions. “The government will soon formulate a new policy for the development of higher education in the state. The government will incorporate the genuine suggestions and demands of the association,” said Sarangi. The association, one of the oldest associations of higher educational institutes in the state, has members from 50 government junior colleges and 43 government degree colleges.
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