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Latest News |
| 14th
July 2010 / Times of India / Mumbai Edition |
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ICSE students can choose best 5 of 6
FYJC Admissions To Begin On Friday As SC Settles Row
For Now
New Delhi/Mumbai: Over four months of tension for aspiring
FYJC students and colleges finally came to an end on Tuesday
when the Supreme Court ordered the Maharashtra government
to extend the best-five policy for junior college admissions
to ICSE students too. Online admissions will now begin
on Friday and education minister Balasaheb Thorat said
they will take 45 days—thus, classes won’t
begin till end-August. Last year, the 90:10 controversy
delayed classes till the first fortnight of August.
Interestingly, the state, which has taken a blow with
the ruling, itself suggested to the court on Tuesday that
the scheme should be
extended to ICSE students. The apex court then passed
its interim order. A final ruling is expected in October.
Interestingly, this means that the matter could have been
resolved earlier in the Bombay high court, which passed
a verdict on June 23 quashing the best-five rule. The
HC, during the course of heated arguments, repeatedly
asked the government and the SSC board if they would extend
the policy to students of other boards. The state had
refused.
Lakhs of SSC students and thousands of ICSE students were
relieved that the online admissions process can now start,
but they face a year in which the vast syllabus has to
be covered in less time.
WHAT THE BEST-5 RULING MEANS
FOR SSC STUDENTS
Percentage for admission is based on the bestfive scores
in the six subjects appeared for FOR ICSE STUDENTS GROUP
I SUBJECTS: Students compulsorily take English, Second
Language, History-Geography-Civics & Environmental
Education
GROUP II: Students must choose two subjects from Math,
Science, Commercial Studies, Agricultural Studies, etc
The percentage for admission is based on the best-five
scores in the six subjects appeared for in Groups I &
II. A further group, III, from which students choose one
subject, cannot be counted ICSE students can opt for the
above system or calculate the percentage based on all
seven subjects
FOR CBSE STUDENTS
No change. Students take only five subjects
WHAT NEXT?
Online admissions from Fri, classes by Aug-end State agreed
to middle path
New Delhi/Mumbai: While ruling to give ICSE students the
best-five benefit too, the SC issued an important condition.
The bench, comprising Justice V S Sirpurkar and Justice
Cyriac Joseph, said that the bestfive option for ICSE
students would be worked out from only the first two groups
of subjects—four subjects from Group I and two from
Group II. Marks in the lone subject from Group III and
its many non-conventional options, like cookery, would
not be taken into account. So, even for ICSE, it’s
best five out of six. Sources said there is 50% internal
assessment for these subjects.
“If the ICSE student feels that he should get the
advantage of the marks in Group III subject too, then
his average would be calculated on the basis of marks
obtained in all seven subjects in Class X,’’
the bench said. The state had wanted to take into account
the best five out of six subjects for FYJC admission,
but wanted to account for all seven subjects for ICSE
students.
In Group I, ICSE students have four compulsory subjects—English,
second language, social studies (history, geography and
civics) and environmental education. (See, ‘Debate
Over Group II’)
The state board has six compulsopry subjects for Class
X students—English and two languages, social studies,
mathematics and science.
Tension began on February 25, when the state had brought
in the best-five option for SSC students to allow them
to compete on a level playing field with students from
the CBSE and ICSE boards for FYJC admissions. However,
the HC struck down the policy saying it violated the right
to non-discrimination guaranteed under Article 14 of the
Constitution.
Responding to the core question posed by the court on
Monday, on whether the new admissions criteria was hit
by Article 14, the state board’s counsel Harish
Salve said on Tuesday he had worked out a middle path
in consultation with the education department and the
minister.
He suggested that the board offer the best-five option
to ICSE students, but with varying criteria for two streams,
science and non-science. He said ICSE students opting
for science in state-run junior colleges should have math
and science as subjects in Class X. For other streams,
the average of marks in the best five of seven subjects
should be taken, he added.
This was objected to by senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi,
Soli J Sorabjee and Indu Malhotra, who appeared for the
students and ICSE board. They said the arrangement for
admission had been continuing for the last 17 years and
past attempts by the state board had been struck down.
“Moreover, why disturb a system midway through the
admission season, especially when it was brought in to
surprise the ICSE students just before the March 4 board
examinations?’’ they argued.
The bench examined Salve’s suggestion and pointed
out the rough edges. Salve made small amendments before
the bench dictated its interim order and stayed the order
of the HC, which had struck down the best-five rule as
unconstitutional.
When the issue was still in the HC, the advocate general
had sought instructions from the education department,
which felt that the policy could not be extended to the
ICSE board. The HC observed, “In other words,no
clear assurance was forthcoming as to whether the state
would on its own apply the February 25 Government Resolution
to all students appearing for the Xth standard examination,
irrespective of the boards to which their institutions
are affiliated.’’
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