TNN,
Mumbai Edition, 08th July 2008
Govt Resolution Was Sent Only To Latur District
Colleges In 2003, As It Was Drawn Up To Reserve Seats For
Locals There
Mumbai:
The government resolution (GR) issued in 2003 requiring
junior colleges to keep 70% of their Class XI seats for
students within their district was sent that year only to
colleges in Latur district, because it was drawn up with
only that district in mind, according to state officials.
While the GR does not specifically mention Latur, it was
sent in 2003 only to colleges in Ahmedpur and Latur, which
are in Latur district, and has not been implemented in any
other district of the state since then.
The government is apparently now trying to implement the
GR in Mumbai. A circular sent to colleges in Mumbai last
week, asking them to follow the 70% district quota, wreaked
havoc on the admissions process here. Principals are becoming
wary during an election year, with some colleges even delaying
their second merit lists. Mumbai has three districts—south
Mumbai and the eastern and western suburbs.
In 2003, junior colleges in Latur and Ahmedpur, which have
a well-oiled system for producing HSC and CET toppers, attracted
students from all over the state. Local students then complained
that seats in prominent colleges—like Shri Chhatrapati
Shahu Maharaj College, Dayanand College, Ahmedpur junior
college and other institutions—were filled with toppers
from other parts of the state, leaving few seats for locals.
“Taking that complaint into consideration, the government
passed a resolution ordering that 70% of seats be reserved
for local students. It was never meant for Mumbai. It was
only sent to junior colleges in Latur and Ahmedpur,’’
said J M Abhayankar, the then deputy director (school education)
who went on to become the deputy secretary.
Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh agreed that the original
GR was issued because locals in Latur were finding it hard
to find seats near their home. “We found that there
were insufficient seats for local students, therefore the
70:30 formula was introduced,’’ he told TOI.
Institutions in Latur and Ahmedpur have been following the
70:30 formula since 2003. “The system was drawn up
just for Latur, which had become a hot education district
because of its coaching pattern for medical and engineering
seats. It was never meant for Mumbai. Nobody flocks to Mumbai
from other parts of the state, because it is difficult to
get affordable housing here,’’ said a senior
IAS officer who was at the helm of school education affairs
in 2003.
It is probably for this reason that, when the state sent
a “reminder’’ to colleges in Mumbai this
year asking them to follow the rule, principals had no idea
what the state was talking about. Most principals, over
the last few days, have been seeking clarifications. “The
government reminder said that we had to follow the 2003
GR. But my institution never received a GR in 2003,’’
said a principal who has been heading his institution since
2000.
Over the years, various education ministers have held discussions
on regulating admissions to junior colleges in the city.
“But the local transport in the city is excellent.
Commuting is not a problem. Each meeting has concluded that
all of Mumbai has to be considered as a single entity,’’
added Abhayankar, who recently retired as the state project
director.
Deputy director (school education), G K Mhamane, said the
state had never sent the GR to his district, Pune, either.
The 2003 GR was signed by Jairaj Phatak, who was then principal
secretary, school education.
The CM has now stepped in to resolve the row as many principals
and students are unhappy with the 70:30 rule. “I have
convened a special meeting on Tuesday to review the ongoing
admission process. We will also examine the pros and cons
of the 2003 circular,’’ Deshmukh told TOI.
