KOLKATA: The number of examinees came down to a trickle on Tuesday - the second day of admission tests in
Jadavpur University (
JU) - leaving teachers and authorities worried. Just 23.3% candidates turned up to for the philosophy entrance exam out of a total of 1,266 applicants, while a meagre 26% of the 2,200 applicants took the political science test conducted by International Relations department l.
A philosophy department teacher, however, said that the number of candidates who took the philosophy exam on Tuesday was higher compared to last year.
"We are disappointed and concerned looking at the number of candidates who turned up to take the exam. On Monday, only 22% candidates took the entrance test for Bengali undergraduate course, while in English, the percentage was 27.5%. This clearly shows the lack of interest among students to join JU after such dilly-dally over holding admission tests," said an Arts faculty teacher.
He added, "Most of the students have already found a seat in colleges affiliated to Calcutta University (CU). Moreover, CU started classes a month ahead this year as they have introduced choice-based credit system and semester system. As a result, many candidates have become jittery and don't want to lose a month's study."
Another teacher pointed out that in colleges outside Bengal, registration fee has to be paid simultaneously when a student takes admission to colleges. "A hefty amount is charged to cancel the registration. Thus, many candidates may have been deterred to go through such a complicated refund process," a JU official pointed out.
A Calcutta University teacher pointed out, "Arts courses JU were the most sought after in Bengal. If candidates were interested to study in JU, they would have left other colleges where they may have enrolled already. But skipping admission tests mean they have lost interest. Also, many students may be concerned if they will be able to cope with the semester as JU is set to start classes for disciplines holding admission tests from August 13, while other departments that took students based on their higher secondary marks will begin classes from August 1," pointed out another teacher.
Several faculty members also blamed the tumultuous situation that JU witnessed in the last one month over admission procedure, as the reason behind several students staying away. "Many candidates prefer not to study in a campus where there is high voltage political activism" a source said.
Dishari Sadhukhan took a chance despite finding seat in another college and appeared in Tuesday's entrance test. "JU is one of the best universities. I couldn't decide whether to wait for the admission test after so many changes in dates. I have already taken admission in Loreto College," she said.
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