A month after thousands of seats in the Master of Computer Application (MCA) course fell vacant in engineering and arts and science colleges, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) relaxed the eligibility norms for admission into the academic programme.
Initially the AICTE had mandated that only candidates who had studied Mathematics at the higher secondary (10 +2) level would be eligible for enrolling to the MCA degree course.
The managements of the private colleges had moved the Madras High Court seeking to quash the norm. But HC had dismissed the petition.
However, now acting on a plea from the private colleges, the AICTE has communicated that aspirants who had either studied Mathematics in the 10 +2 level or alternatively in the undergraduate level would be eligible for admission into the MCA degree programme.
This year colleges had complained that several students who had completed BCA, BA and BSc degree courses without studying Mathematics at the higher secondary school level were rendered ineligible to apply for the MCA course leading to vacancies.
Acting on the AICTE’s norm, candidates who did not study Mathematics in Plus Two were disallowed from sitting for the Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET), a mandatory examination for admission into the MCA course.
“Although 12,652 seats were available in the MCA course under the Government quota, only 6,108 candidates had applied for the single window counselling. Of them a mere 4,480 candidates received their allotment letters. Nearly twothirds of the Government quota MCA seats (8,172 seats) remained vacant at the end of the single window counselling held between July 22 and 30,” a private college owner pointed out.
Under the revised norms, which were communicated by the AICTE assistant director M S Ghuge to the secretary of the Association of Management of Coimbatore Anna University Affiliated Colleges (AMCAAC), candidates who had pursued Mathematics at graduation level with an aggregate score of 50 per cent (45 per cent for reserved category) would be eligible for admissions.
“The above change is subject to ratification by the AICTE council,” Ghuge said.
AMCAAC has urged the State government to conduct a separate TANCET and counselling for aspirants who are eligible for MCA admissions as per the new norms.