Students who have completed their Class VIII education through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) are facing significant challenges in gaining admission to private Arts and Science colleges affiliated with Bharathiar University in Coimbatore.
This issue was highlighted in a report by The New Indian Express, which revealed that these colleges are refusing admissions citing the lack of equivalence certificates and other bureaucratic obstacles.
C Murali, a student from Selvapuram, Coimbatore, shared his ordeal with The New Indian Express. After completing an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) course in Chennai, he pursued Class XII through NIOS, securing 459 out of 600 marks in the Science stream. Despite his academic achievements, he was denied admission to a private arts and science college on Pollachi Road for a BSc Computer Science course due to his NIOS background. Murali recounted, "I was told that an equivalence certificate from the school education department was necessary, but officials there said they had no authority to issue such certificates."
Murali's struggle did not end there. He appealed to Bharathiar University, but received no response. Eventually, a Deemed University on Pollachi Road admitted him to the BSc Computer Science program. "Many NIOS students like me are struggling to get seats in colleges," Murali added.
Another student, S Kabeer (name changed), faced similar hurdles in Coimbatore. The management of a college in Kovaipudur demanded an equivalence certificate. Kabeer found that the official NIOS website lacked updated information, with critical sections showing a 404 error. Kabeer ultimately secured admission at a private college in Palakkad, Kerala.
An officer from an NIOS Coaching Academy in Coimbatore told The New Indian Express that colleges should admit NIOS students without requiring an equivalence certificate. "Top colleges in Coimbatore refuse admission citing various reasons, often believing that NIOS students will not attend regularly or perform well academically," the officer said. He urged the higher education department to issue a new circular clarifying the admission rules for NIOS students.
A Ponnusamy, President of the Association of Principals of Colleges of Bharathiar University, affirmed that students with passing marks from NIOS should be admitted by the colleges. Bharathiar University Registrar (in-charge) Rupa Gunasekaran acknowledged the issue as discriminatory. "We will send a circular to all affiliated colleges ordering them to admit NIOS students as per the government order. Students struggling to get seats can contact the registrar's office," she stated.
Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy also weighed in, promising to take necessary steps through officials to resolve the matter.
