HYDERABAD: In a first, from 2018-19 academic year admission for polytechnic colleges will also be done through the Degree Online Services Telangana (DOST), which until last year was responsible for admissions into undergraduate courses in arts, science, social sciences, commerce, management, computer applications and Social work.
In a bid to make DOST student-friendly, from this year, biometric attendance has also been done away. "Students can now register themselves using their phone also. We have decided to link it with Aadhaar instead of using biometric attendance," said Prof R Limbadri, convenor, DOST.
In another novel move, Telangana State Council Higher Education has decided to link EAMCET and DOST to ensure seats do not go waste. Students would confirm admission in DOST and then without submitting, fee, TC or certificates would go and take admission in engineering.
"We don't know that seat is vacant or not. Now students can't do this, within a day or two they have to decide and pay to complete the formalities or the seat will be cancelled, " he added.
In addition, to aid students, who had complained last year that they had trouble locating colleges due to similar names, Prof. Limbadri said that colleges have been instructed to give their GPS location too.
The registration fee has been doubled from Rs 100 to Rs 200. Colleges have also been told that those that have less than 25 per cent intake, would not be allowed to take any fresh admissions and also such course that have less than 25 per cent enrollment would also be struck off.
This move has not gone down well with the private degree college managements. Aspire, an association of private un-aided educational institutions has decided to move the High Court over the DOST -2018 notification. They are also against the forcible closure of colleges and courses. They have demanded a uniform fee structure, for which they are not getting permission from the government. In addition, colleges have also criticised the government for not clearing the pending fee dues of 2016 and 2017 academic years.