Std XI admissions trigger anxieties; students wonder how authorities will keep the process fair for all

Admission to junior college has so far been a much competitive process

With cancellation of Std X exams by all boards, the focus has now shifted to Std XI admissions. A much competitive process every year, it depended entirely on Class X scores.

Will there be an entrance test to determine Class XI or junior college admissions? Should colleges rather opt for a lottery process for applications? Will there be a completely new formula altogether? These are among the queries that students, parents, colleges and educationists are now saddled with.

"While the cancellation has provided relief on one hand, it also has caused a different type of stress and uncertainty among students. If there is no parity in this process among different boards, students are going to feel cheated," said Garima Solanki, a parent from Kandivli.

Several others have even expressed concerns over Std X students who had joined coaching institutes, spending six hours of online school and then four hours on online coaching.

"This batch already had to swiftly move to a completely new platform, they put in so much effort and now suddenly all of that should not go to waste," said another parent Ashish Nahata.

Anurag Kale, a student, said they are glad there won't be offline exams, just that there should be a fair chance for all in Class XI.

Options ahead

A single entrance test, lottery system and predicted scores based on earlier performance are among the many options under discussion, though each comes with merits and challenges. "One entrance exam may provide a fair ground and could be easier to conduct. It can again be questioned on whether or not it should be held amid the pandemic. Even as it can be held online, it is important to know that a huge student population is from rural sets where this will be a challenge. In fact, in many urban schools catering to underprivileged kids, too, it appears to be a distant dream," shared a teacher from a Chembur school.

Throwing more light on the lottery system, another teacher said, "It will be a challenge to ensure that there are no malpractices."

Heramb Kulkarni, an educationist, expressed, "The number of students and their demographics are huge. Class XI admissions are a competition, mostly in urban areas, and it shouldn't happen that decisions are taken looking only at the urban students' population."

Even as scores based on internal assessment has come across as the most viable option to many, there is no such system to keep a track of continuous comprehensive evaluation in many schools, say others.

"It will also lead to inflation of marks. But that has happened across the world," said Francis Joseph, President of SLN Global Network, who is also a part of the state's education department's think-tank. He added, "There is enough time for the government to decide on Class XI admissions. The focus will be on providing a fair ground for students coming from different boards."

Sources said school education minister Varsha Gaikwad is meeting stakeholders and experts to address the challenge and the government could provide some clarity in about 10 days.