BHUBANESWAR: The ongoing BTech admission to engineering colleges of the State appears to be suggesting a shift in technical education. With just 4,000-odd students so far opting for private engineering colleges, many aspirants could end up seeking admission directly through the institution route. Although it is a bit early, chances are that less number of students would use the OJEE counselling system for admission.
For the first round of admission, 8,048 students turned up at the nodal centres. Of them, 4,000 went to Government engineering colleges given their higher ranks in the merit list. The rest were allotted seats in private engineering colleges.
According to information available with the OJEE, over 15,000 candidates had registered for admission into BTech programmes in the State. As many as 13,605 of them filled in choices by the deadline and seat allotment was offered to 12,400 aspirants.
However, only 8,048 students turned up for provisional admission which means the rest 4,000-odd opted out of the system. Going by the admission structure, in next rounds of counselling and admission, allotment would be offered to 1,000-odd students who had registered but stayed away from choice-filling process.
“Effectively, we are looking at below 10,000 seats being filled up in the JEE counselling against the total seat strength of 39,000,” sources said.
However, this does not mean that students have exhausted their means for admission into private colleges. The amended Odisha Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of fee) Act, 2007 provides for institutions to make an admission at the end of OJEE counselling for the vacant seats. However, it comes with a rider that candidates have to be drawn from JEE merit list.
“Students now have the flexibility of choosing colleges as well as programmes are given the vacancies in private colleges. They also have a better bargain in such a scenario and we could be looking at it as a new trend,” said sources in OJEE.
The Odisha Private Engineering Colleges Association, the umbrella body of the private institutions, says this trend indicates that OJEE process has lost its relevance. “Every year, we go to the court and seek direction for a special OJEE test so that vacancies in private technical colleges can be filled. In the last four years, colleges have been admitting 4,000 to 5,000 students this way,” secretary Binod Dash said.
The association said the State Government has an authority to hold a second OJEE but it refrains from using the power and instead, waits for OPECA to knock at the doors of the court. “There are students who are outside the JEE system who want to take up a career in engineering but the State Government does not allow it,” Dash stated.However, OJEE officials say a clear picture will emerge after August 15 when admission is completed in the State.
This year’s OJEE show
For the first round of admission, 8,048 students turned up at nodal centres
4,000 went to Government engineering colleges, the rest were allotted seats in private colleges
Over 15,000 candidates had registered for admission into BTech programmes
13,605 of them filled in choices by the deadline
Seat allotment was offered to 12,400 aspirants
Only 8,048 students turned up for provisional admission