NAGPUR: Five well known junior colleges have approached the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court seeking exclusion of area under corporation limits from the centralised admission process (CAP) for Std XI admissions.
Citing a large number of seats that remained vacant in junior colleges located under city’s jurisdiction in last four years, the petitioner colleges said the purpose for which the CAP was introduced is getting defeated.
Pointing out that Aurangabad city has been excluded from the CAP by the government, the petitioners, including New English and Somalwar junior colleges, through counsel Bhanudas Kulkarni, prayed for exclusion of institutions coming under the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) area.
A division bench comprising Justice Sunil Shukre and Justice Anil Kilor issued notices to the state education department secretary, director of secondary and higher secondary education in Pune and deputy director of education in Nagpur.
While adjourning the hearing for two weeks, the bench directed all respondents to reply before that date.
The petitioners moved the HC after director of secondary and higher secondary education issued orders to start online CAP for Std XI seats in Nagpur, Amravati, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nashik.
According to the petitioners, last year 24,416 seats remained vacant out of total 59,250. In 2019-20, of the total 58,840 seats, 20,982 were not filled. Similarly, in 2018-19, 19,489 seats couldn’t be filled out of 54,810 and in 2017-18, over 18,000 seats remained vacant out of total 54,250.
Faculty-wise, science stream saw 3,148 seats vacant, commerce 5,545, arts 3,825 and MCVC 1,030 in the city colleges.
Alleging rampant commercialization of Std XII education due to unholy nexus between junior colleges and coaching classes, about 30 junior colleges from the city, led by New English High School Association, had filed a public interest litigation last year contending that many no-grant-in-aid institutions have mushroomed under Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority areas, outside NMC limits.
Urging to cancel Std 11 CAP, they had contended that a majority of colleges in NMRDA area are having illegal tie-ups with private classes and, therefore, students and parents prefer them, as they don’t have to regularly attend lectures. Even biometric machines for students’ attendance are installed at coaching classes in the city, instead of classrooms in colleges in rural areas, the petitioner had alleged.
