Members of the student-parent committee of N M and Mithibai Colleges, who met Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Datta Rane, today, told Express Newsline that they have been assured of a solution. Corroborating sources in the department, committee member Rashmin Kacharia said: ``The minister told us he has requested the university to follow the earlier admission procedure.''

However, since theuniversity, which implemented the government's five-year-old directive vide a notification in January this year, is an autonomous institution, its decision will be binding on students. A meeting of the university's Academic Council has been convened to discuss the issue tomorrow. However, following the government's suggestion to hold the rule in abeyance, the onus is squarely on the university.

Giving nothing away, university Vice-Chancellor Dr Snehalata Deshmukh unleashed a stream of options, saying there were various ways to accommodate the excess students, most of whom have applied for admission to the Commerce faculty. She said 53,358 students have opted for Commerce this year. ``As of now, there are 394 divisions in the Mumbai, Greater Mumbai and Thane regions, and therefore 40,000-odd students can be accommodated by following the present rule,''she told Express Newsline.

Dr Deshmukh says the 42,902 students who have passed the HSC exam with more than 45 per cent marks can anyway be accommodatedunder the existing rules. Under this, 2,000 students will be accommodated in the newly-started Bachelor of Management Studies course, reducing the pressure on commerce.As for students who have scored less than 45 per cent at the HSC exam, she has another solution: the government should consider a proposal which has been pending with it for a long time to start eight new colleges. These colleges already have the infrastructure, she claims. Also, more divisions should be started. But pointing to problems in implementing this proposal, Dr Deshmukh adds: ``Managements do not want to start new divisions unless the government gives a grant.'' On the flipside, if 20 seats are added to each extra division, 7,000 students can be accommodated.

In any case, the final decision will rest with the AC, Dr Deshmukh reiterates, adding ``I shall be placing all these figures at the meeting.'' University Registrar Dr P V Pradhan says: ``The university will be able to absorb students in the Science and Arts faculties. InCommerce too, all the students can be absorbed if some additional divisions are sanctioned by the government on a grant basis.'' In any case, the AC meeting tomorrow will sort out the matter, he said.