• State to ICSE schools: Go beyond Class X  •

Mumbai Edition, 12th July 2008

Mumbai: While the state government is going all out to sanction more seats, and even colleges, to bridge the yawning chasm between the number of students who have cleared Class X and the number of first-year junior college (FYJC) seats, the state education department plans to ask ICSE and CBSE schools to pitch in and help out.

“Several ICSE and CBSE schools have received No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Maharashtra government for starting classes X, XI and XII. However, many of these schools, despite having permission to start junior colleges, do not do so,’’ said Sanjay Kumar, state education secretary. The state feels that the Class X students from ICSE and CBSE schools then have nowhere to go but junior colleges offering the HSC. “We will direct them to start classes XI and XII in order to ease the burden on the HSC board,’’ said Kumar.

The state will also request ICSE and CBSE schools that have an NOC to run up to Class X to also run classes XI and XII if they have the infrastructure.

Currently, the government is facing a crisis as 13.15 lakh students cleared Class X this year and there are only 9.75 lakh FYJC seats. The state requires an additional 1,600 divisions. The state is already sanctioning 305 additional colleges across Maharashtra in addition to over 500 additional divisions in existing colleges.

“The state is trying to create additional capacity in junior colleges. ICSE and CBSE students should help ease the load and create more junior college seats,’’ said Kumar.