The Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Mumbai region, will take a decision on 20 per cent increase in student intake in junior colleges on Wednesday. After having allotted 20 per cent more seats in some junior colleges in the third merit list, the DDE is receiving complaints about colleges not admitting the ‘additional’ students allotted seats in the third merit list.

By 6 pm on Tuesday, 75,491 students were allotted seats, 11,945 were admitted, 25 students cancelled their admissions and 346 applications were rejected. So far, 1,48,050 students have been admitted in all the three lists. Still, 7084 students are without admission, said the DDE.

The DDE had decided to increase 20 per cent seats in some colleges to accommodate more students. VK Wankhede, DDE, Mumbai region, had not asked those colleges in which 70 per cent (or more) of admissions were taken after the first merit list to increase the seats. All other colleges were asked to increase the intake.

It was done under the assumption that several students would opt for other preferred colleges and cancel admissions and hence seats would remain vacant. However, the vacancies created after cancellations are much lesser than allotted students. Two students, Fatima Soni and Mariam Contractor of Bhendi Bazar, had come into the third merit list of Sophia College in Arts, but were denied admission by the college. They were told by the principal that the college had informed the DDE that it did not have the capacity to admit extra students. In a letter addressed to the DDE, the college said that there were only 43 vacancies after the second merit list but the DDE had allotted 148 students. Fatima Soni’s father, Saifuddin, said, “We do not where to go now. The college refused us the admission. I have complained to the DDE and will wait for the response.”

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