BHUBANESWAR: Show cause notices have been served on 42 Plus Three colleges and 148 Plus Two colleges where there have been nil or less than 10 admissions for the new academic session.
As far as degree colleges are concerned, there has been no admission in 14 colleges in Puri, Mayurbhanj, Khurda, Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Balasore and Angul districts. There are 28 degree colleges where 10 or less than 10 students have taken admission in Arts, Physical Science, Biological Science, Commerce and Self-financing courses.
In Arts, Kasturba Gandhi Women’s College, Pipli and Rajanikanta Mahavidyalaya in Bijatola, Mayurbhanj did not find a single taker, while Mohan Pyari Nilambar Negi College in Kalahandi, Derabish Mahila Mahavidyalaya in Kendrapara and Lochan Jagant Women’s College in Nuapada got just five, six and 10 students respectively. Lochan Jagant Women’s College has 128 seats in Arts stream.
Rajanikanta Mahavidyalaya of Mayurbhanj got no student for its Physical Science and Biological Science streams as well.
In Commerce, eight colleges had enrolment between one and nine and two colleges - Gourav College of Commerce, Science and Management in Bhubaneswar and Chandra Sekhar College in Keonjhar - saw zero admission.
Similarly in Physical Science and Biological Science, admission was in single digit in six and 11 colleges respectively. Interestingly, Stewart Science Degree College of Cuttack got just nine students in Biological Science against its sanctioned strength of 32.
There was no admission in four self-financing colleges and in Christ College at Cuttack, only three students took admission to various self-financing courses.
In Plus Two, of 148 colleges that have been served show cause, there was nil admission in 41 colleges in all the three streams of Arts, Science and Commerce. In Bhubaneswar, 25 junior colleges had enrolment between zero and 10. All these colleges have been asked to reply to the notice within a week.
Expressing concern over the matter, Higher Education Minister Pradip Kumar Panigrahi said the performance of these colleges would be reviewed very soon. The matter will be discussed with vice-chancellors and eminent educationists to deliberate measures to enhance the quality of education.
Last year, the Department of Higher Education had suggested closure of 45 junior colleges on various grounds including nil admission in 2012. These colleges were removed from the options for application this year.