This decision, pursuant to a resolution passed by the varsity's Academic Council in its meeting held on December 14 last year, is in view of the introduction of the internal assessment system in colleges from 1997-98 and in order to make the class-room teaching more effective, states the circular.This move will deprive several students of re-gaining admission in their own colleges, apart from making the going tougher for those studentswith average marks and from schools. Such students will now simply be forced to flock towards Distance Education courses, said S G Chitale, Vice-President of the Association for Non Government Colleges (ANGC), and Principal of H Somani College, Chowpatty. Last year itself, a record 5,750 students enrolled for the Distance Education's BCom course, about 4,000 of which had failed to get seats in their own colleges, he revealed. However, students who wish to opt for science don't even have that choice, as distance education is not offered for science.

Things will be further complicated by ATKT (Allowed To Keep term), which most students get in their first year of senior college, and which automatically inflates student strength the next year, stated the Principal of Bhavan's College, Andheri, D B Kadam. And on the flip side, colleges will be saddled with surplus teachers, added Kadam, citing the case of his own college, where at present, 360 students (120 per division) are enrolled in three divisions in thefirst year of BSc. As per the circular, from this year, the student strength will have to be restricted to 300.

The circular will have telling effects on science practicals as well. As of now, except for botany and zoology, 20 and subsequently 15, 25 students are admitted to the first batch and 20 students in subsequent batches. Kadam explained, ``From time to time, the university, through circulars and directives, has permitted colleges to admit as many as 120 students per division to ease admission pressure. But this year, if there's a cut in degree college seats, several of our own students from junior college will have to fend for themselves.''

Consequently, the move will hit most of the city's colleges as they are aided and which increase divisions to counter a shortfall in seats. Pro Vice-Chancellor of the varsity, Dr Naresh Chandra merely said the circular was in keeping with the state government's directives on student strength, which stipulate the maximum and minimum number of students that adivision can have. But ANGC members also point out that the varsity hasn't taken a reality check on the financial position most colleges are in. A money squeeze has meant that college managements are in no position to increase divisions. Mantralaya sources countered that looking at the financial position of the state government, it would not favour an increase in the number of divisions.

The university should have taken principals and the state government into confidence before issuing such a circular, said ANGC members. They will appeal to the university to review the circular, they added.