Facing flak over the leak of CBSE papers, the HRD Ministry is gearing up to ensure a glitch-free admission season in the colleges, after the results are out. The Ministry doesn't want to take any chances also because the admission process in most Central Universities is online.
While consultations have been on at the Ministry level in this regard, the Ministry will write to all the vice chancellors to take measures to ensure students don't face any problems in the admission process.
HRD Ministry sources said that a Higher Education Admission Monitoring Cell is being conceived within the Ministry with a mandate to do 360 degree follow-ups of the admission process which involves lakhs of students and vivid undergraduate course across the country.
Ministry is to direct for a special cell for North-East students and a special admission drive to be conducted for them, particularly in the Delhi University. Strategy to end protracted process is being actively considered and various stakeholders, including college Principals, are to be consulted before coming up with a model for the same.
"We will take no chances in the admission process due next month more so after the PMO taking the cognizance of the CBSE paper leak. All the V-Cs and head of the institutions would be alerted to pull up their socks and ensure a trouble free digital platform for the admission process with greater transparency," sources said.
Students had taken to streets in recent times for the CBSE paper leak and also protesting across the country over the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) paper leak and on both occasions the protestors received the backing of the Opposition parties.
"The decision to streamline the undergraduate admission process much before has come in the wake unrest within the student community. We are aware that PMO is watching closely also since this being elections year. The Government is wary about the poll impact on both the paper leaks that affected lakhs of students and job aspirants," sources in the HRD Ministry said.
The CBSE paper leak both of class 10th and 12th also made the Delhi University changed its mind which had decided registrations for admission to various courses for academic session 2018-19 to start from the first week of April, which would have been about two months earlier. last year, the registrations were started on May 22.
The Pioneer early this year had reported that admission committee, chaired by eminent environmental scientist and Dean of Science Faculty Professor Maharaj K Pandit, had incorporated several key changes in the admission process for this year.
While deciding to do away with the process of "unrealistic" cut-offs by the colleges for which several stakeholders are being consulted, the committee also worked on formulating a policy on online counseling for admission.
A Delhi University (DU) source said that the university is planning to "drastically" slash the number of cut-off lists this year against the 11 cut-off lists last year for admission towards 56,000 seats for undergraduate courses in various DU colleges.