The unprecedented lockdown that hit the livelihood of thousands of families have led to a torrent of applications for admission to State-run arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu – and more are expected in the coming days.
Chennai:
Such is number of applications received so far that the institutions would not be able to admit all the applicants even though the government decided to increase the intake by 20 per cent from this year.
There are about 140 government arts and science colleges in the State, with a combined intake capacity of 1.03 lakh seats for under graduate (UG), post graduate (PG), M Phil and PhD courses. Due to the unprecedented situation prevailing now due to the pandemic, the authorities had started receiving UG and PG applications online for the first time.
A senior official from the Directorate of Collegiate Education, which monitors the admission process, told DT Next that the number of online applications has already crossed 1.35 lakh. In view of the spike in the number of applications, the Higher Education Department has decided to increase the intake by 20 Per cent, the official said. Also, he added, the government has decided that the students who have not so far enrolled online could apply for spot admissions at the college of their choice.
The department established a control room for students to clear their doubts about online admission procedure. “This helped several thousand students from remote and rural areas, who could not enroll online, to get information about getting direct admissions,” he said. Applications have increased this year, as many parents who faced pay cuts and business loss due to COVID-19 lockdown have approached government institutions that provide free education,” he said.
About 700 new courses were introduced in the government colleges in the last two years, of which around 200 were earlier offered only by a few private institutions, the official said. “This is also one of the reasons why students have evinced interest in joining government colleges this academic year,” he said. The students who opt for Tamil medium of instruction would receive a stipend this year as well, the official said. “The welfare measures, including free bus pass, will be distributed soon after the colleges reopen,” he added.