Separate FYJC cutoffs released for girls for first time, above general lists in Mumbai majority of colleges; students required to self-certify documents

Junior college admission cutoffs were announced for the first time on Saturday and took everyone by surprise: the govt released separate cutoffs for girls' quota seats across streams for the first time. Their percentages in the majority of institutes were 1-2%, or even more, above the general lists.

Overall, cut-offs in the city, however, did not show much variation from last year, writes Hemali Chhapia. Commerce and arts hardly shifted from last year's levels, while science saw a slight rise.

The school education department, following a series of delays, released the allotment list - originally due Monday, providing relief to an anxious batch of students. This year, more than 2.4 lakh science hopefuls in Maharashtra were admitted to their dream colleges. Commerce also experienced 82,594 students getting their desired seat, with 1.4 lakh humanities students finding themselves where they wished.

Seats are usually reserved for girls in each category - general, SC, ST, or whatever - but the cutoffs under this reservation have seldom been apparent. This reservation exists in the creases of larger quotas, going unnoticed in the final merit lists. But never before has the system allowed those figures to speak for themselves.

With the initial cutoffs for first-year junior college on Saturday, admissions this year could come with more than fidgety nervousness and could witness an increase in rejections as well, experts said. Students were requested to self-certify their papers while applying, which raised some officers' eyebrows.

"Engaging schools in the verification of documents uploaded or establishing facilitation centres is important," a senior education official cautioned. "If equity is to be ensured, the govt will have to intervene."

Even as the system prepares to face scrutiny, another revolution occurred in silence — on the merit lists. Girl students of the city colleges surprised college principals with a new set of figures moving up the list:. For girls this year, the cut-offs were announced separately, and in most cases, they not only equaled the overall cut-offs, they exceeded them. "This time, we have announced the marks of all those students who got in through horizontal reservation as well," said Mahesh Palkar, director, secondary and higher secondary education.

"The state has, for the first time, reserved a list for 30% quota for women," NM College principal Parag Ajgaonkar stated, quoting a May 6 govt resolution.

"And the figures reflect that they're beating expectations. Our cut-off for girls is 95.2%, whereas the overall stood at 93.8%." At RA Podar, the difference was similarly illustrative: 96% among girls compared with 94.6% in total. At Mithibai College, principal Krutika Desai welcomed the trend: "It's wonderful to observe that girls are not only taking their seats — they're raising the bar."

At her university, the trend was the same across streams. In humanities, the cut-off for girls was 91.6%, just ahead of the general list at 88%. In commerce, the difference was narrower — 93% for girls against 92.4% overall. And even in science, the trend was the same: 93% for girls, ahead of the general cut-off of 91.6%.

For humanities, St Xavier's overall cut-off remained at 93.4%, unchanged from last year, but for girls it is 95.8%.

"Humanities is no longer an option of last resort. Several are opting for it consciously, to create something innovative and long-term," noted Himanshu Dawda, Principal, R Jhunjhunwala College. At HR College, principal Pooja Ramchandani credited the minor increase in cut-offs to improved performance of the batch of Class X students.

"There is increased competition in science and commerce," said principal of KJ Somaiya College of Commerce and Science Pradnya Prabhu.

"With students getting exceptionally good marks in the SSC exam, there is pressure." But she requested them to analyze their strengths before pursuing a seat. In Maharashtra as a whole, 10.7 lakh students had applied for a seat under the Centralised Admission Process (CAP), but only 6.9 lakh were given a seat.