Patna: The academic session at Intermediate colleges and schools is likely to be delayed this year owing to introduction of Online Facilitation System for Students (OFSS), an online centralised admission process.

Based on OFSS, the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) is to declare the merit list after which students will take admission into Intermediate colleges or schools.

Even two-and-a-half months since the Intermediate exam results were declared, the school board is yet to declare the merit list.

The school examination board has extended the date for declaring the merit list four times.

The merit list was tentatively to be declared in the last week of July but the board later extended the date till August 11 and then till August 12. The board's new schedule says the merit list will be declared on August 19.

Students are the most affected by this delay when classes have already commenced at CBSE and ICSE schools.

Prakash Chandra, a student who had applied for admission into AN College through OFSS, said: "I did my matriculation from St Paul's High School, an ICSE board school, but as I've to prepare for IIT entrance, I've decided to join any BSEB school so that my IIT coaching is not affected." As the board has not declared its merit list yet, Intermediate colleges and schools have not started the admission process yet.

Echoing Prakash, Kumar Gaurav, another student who did his matriculation from Miller School, said: "The academic session in Intermediate colleges and schools affiliated to BSEB commences in mid- July. But with this delay in coming out with a merit list, we don't expect the new academic session to start before the first week of September."

A senior BSEB official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: "The delay is mainly because the school examination board introduced a new admission process, which is OFSS. We have to declare results for more than 12 lakh students, which is a time-consuming process."

As per BSEB sources, the first merit list will be prepared on August 19.

Students finding their name in the will have to take admission from August 20 to 25.

Sources said that around 11, 47, 039 candidates have applied for admission.

Undergraduate dates

BSEB on Thursday extended dates for taking admission into undergraduate courses at colleges in 10 universities.

Admissions, earlier scheduled from August 10 to 16, will now go on till August 18.