GUWAHATI, Aug 16 - Many students may not be able to study in the college of their choice this year with the cut-off marks for undergraduate courses in most of the colleges soaring to an unprecedented high.
In some top-tier colleges it has gone up to as high as over 90 per cent. Those who scored around 60 per cent in their 12th Board examinations have virtually no hope of getting admission to a reputed college.
�This time, the cut-off marks have substantially increased because of multiple factors. The primary factor being the free and online application process, due to which multiple admissions will take place and later many seats in the leading colleges will go vacant,� a college teacher said.
He pointed out that due to the pandemic situation a large number of students are reluctant to go out of the State for studies.
�For students who have scored less than 60 per cent marks in the higher secondary examination, getting admission to a degree courses will be very tough,� the teacher opined.
With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, particularly in the major cities of the country, many students, who would have otherwise gone to places like New Delhi, have applied for admission to local colleges.
Ranjan Bikash Bora, adviser of All Assamese Students� Association (AASA), New Delhi said that every student who wants to study in the national capital is waiting for the situation to improve.
The AASA in collaboration with the AASU sets up a help desk to assist the Assamese students in getting admission to colleges in New Delhi.
�This time our help desk is getting much fewer calls compared to last year. May be many students may have applied online and that�s why they didn�t contact us,� Bora said.
Principal of Gauhati Commerce College Dr Homeswar Kalita said, �This time, we have increased 180 seats in degree courses and 150 seats in higher secondary to accommodate more students in comparison to last year. In spite of that, the cut-off marks in degree courses in general category have touched 86.29 per cent. Last year, the cut-offs were around 85 per cent. If we did not take the initiative to increase the number of seats then the cut-off mark may rise to 90 per cent.�
Kalita asserted that in Guwahati, there is a need to establish at least two more commerce colleges to accommodate the growing number of students. Moreover, he also appealed to the government to provincialise all colleges and increase the number of their faculty members.
Dr Satyendra Nath Barman, principal of B Borooah College, said that as per the first merit list published by the college the cut-off for general category is around 90 per cent, an increase of nearly five per cent than what it was last year.
The cut-off may vary depending on the major subject the students opt for.
Guwahati College received around 1,000 applications for degree courses. A teacher of the college said the students who scored around 95 per cent marks in the higher secondary examination have also applied for admission to the college.
Cotton University has published a merit list but the scrutiny is still going on. Sources said this time there would be a tough competition for getting admission into this premier institution of the State.
Addressing a press conference, leaders of Assam State Committee of Students� Federation of India (SFI) today alleged that around 50,000 students are facing this problem across the State.
�Recently, a number of students tweeted on this issue. But our Education Minister, who always remains active on social media, is yet to respond. We will organise a protest on August 18 across the State demanding a solution to the issue which is directly linked to the future of our new generation,� SFI general secretary Nirangkush Nath said.
