Bhubaneswar: The second selection merit list for admission into various Plus Two courses was released on Tuesday on www.dheodisha.gov.in, the website of the department of higher education. A number of rural schools have made the mark this time.

In the science stream, the cut-off at Ravenshaw Higher Secondary School has been recorded as 87.83 per cent followed by Saraswati Vidya Mandir College Higher Secondary School at 87.67 per cent and BJB Higher Secondary School at 87.50 per cent.

In commerce stream, Bhuban Women's Higher Secondary School in Dhenkanal district has topped the chart with 80 per cent. This is followed by Panchayat Higher Secondary School, Balangir and BJB Higher Secondary School, Bhubaneswar with 77.83 per cent and 77.33 per cent, respectively.

In arts stream, the cut-off mark of Shailabala Women's Higher Secondary School in Cuttack is 78.67 per cent followed by Patita Paban Higher Secondary School, Keonjhar and Chitrotpala Higher Secondary School of Education and Technology, Jagatsinghpur with 78.50 per cent and 75.67 per cent, respectively.

As many as 4,41,306 students had registered their names for admission into 2001 Plus Two junior colleges across the state.

The second phase admission will be done on July 11 and 12, while classes are slated to begin from July 24. The first phase admission was done between July 2 and 5.

The state government has asked the principals to strictly adhere to the rules and provide admission only to those with proper documents.

As many as 5,90,363 students had appeared for the High School Certificate examinations in 2,818 exam centres between February 23 and March 8. The results were announced on May 7.

Around 1,31,192 seats are still lying vacant after the first round of admission. "By the last phase of admission, almost 50 per cent of the seats would have been filled up," said a senior official of the state higher education department.

Compensation

Expressing concern over the electrocution of a girl in a government-run residential school, the National Human Rights Commission has directed the state government to award Rs 2 lakh compensation to the bereaved family.

Urmila Kabasi, a Class IV student of a residential school for the tribal children in Kalimela block of Malkangiri district, died of electrocution on the hostel premises.

After the girl's death had triggered furore across the state, the administration had swung into action and paid Rs 1 lakh compensation to the deceased's family.

The hostel superintendent was also arrested for negligence in not ensuring the safety of inmates. The rights panel, acting on a batch of petitions, ordered Rs 2 lakh compensation towards the next kin of the deceased under relevant sections of the human rights act.