Ranchi, April 8: Education reforms are finally bearing fruit. The regularisation of academic sessions in three universities of the state has arrested largescale migration of students every year.

The number of students taking admission to intermediate courses in universities is increasing each passing year, effectively checking the mass exodus due to the delayed sessions earlier. Ranchi University alone has added over 18,000 students to its rolls in the last three years after the undergraduate session was regularised.

But despite education being a thrust area with the government pumping in funds to the tune of crores of rupees, the number of students appearing for class IX, X and XII examinations has gone down drastically.

Against 2.17 lakh candidates appearing for the Class X examination, 1.55 lakh in Class IX and 90,000 in Class XII exams last year, the corresponding figures for this year is only 1.99 lakh, 1.35 lakh and 80,000 only.

There is no maximum limit for intake for students in the universities, but the Jharkhand State Intermediate Council has stipulated that colleges cannot have more than 640 students in a particular faculty.

Earlier delayed sessions resulted in migration of students who could afford to study outside the state, especially Delhi, Pune and neighbouring Orissa. As a result, seats remained vacant in many colleges, HRD officials said. But majority of the colleges has started registering good intake of students after the regularisation of sessions, officials said. “Even now students pursue studies in colleges outside the state, but it is more out of choice,” officials added.

Sources in the Ranchi University attributed the spurt in admission to regular sessions. Against 24,302 admissions in 2000 (session 1999-2000), in 2001, more than 28,515 students joined the university. In 2002, the intake further went up to 37,245. Officials attribute the rise to the “growing confidence among students and guardians that the regularity of session will be maintained.

Ranchi University pro-vice chancellor Anand Bhushan said the university was trying its best to regularise the post-graduate sessions. “Till 2002, the PG sessions were delayed by almost 18 months. But this year, the final year exams were held in March and the results are expected any day. We hope to regularise the PG session by the year end,” he said.

Director, higher education K.K. Shrivastava said the greatest advantage of regular session was effective control on mass exodus of students. “All the three universities have regularised their undergraduate academic sessions and efforts are on to streamline the postgraduate sessions, too, he said.