JOIN USDelay: Students on tenterhooks
Their concern: The SSLC results are out and the seats are being filled in some of the best colleges in the city. With their results expected only in the last week of May, several ICSE and CBSE students fear that the five percent quota for both streams put together is not enough to help them get into the best colleges.
Sanjana, a student of Cluny Convent High School (ICSE) says “We are very nervous about the SSLC students taking up admissions. The five percent quota is just not enough because most ICSE and CBSE students apply only for a select few colleges.”
She argues that the cut-off in top colleges is very high for ICSE and the difference in cut-off percentages is disproportionate to the syllabus that they study.
“While our syllabus is considerably tougher, the cut off difference is small. For example, MES has a cut-off of 92 pc for ICSE and 95 pc for State syllabus students,” she adds.
Sanjana’s friend and classmate Gowri says, “The SSLC results are already out and there will be so many students competing for the five percent in three or four colleges. I am very particular about wanting to do commerce from Mount Carmel College and am anxious about getting a seat.”
More options?
However, Sunitha, the Vice-Principal of Cathedral High School allays these fears and believes that ICSE and CBSE students have more options. “They need not be worried. The quota should suffice and besides they can also pursue ISC or 11th and 12th,” she says.
She adds that ICSE and CBSE results have always come after SSLC and there are colleges in the city that accommodate these students even if the seats are filled.
But, this year could be different with more students pursuing PUC because of the doubts over the continuance of CET. Sanjana says, “I want to do PCMB and my preference is either MES or Mount Carmel College. I do not want to do ISC as the perceived advantage in CET is immaterial now with COMED-K.”
Board irresponsible
Prema Krishnaswamy, whose granddaughter studies at Kumaran’s High School (CBSE) too is worried about the seats getting filled in handful of reputed colleges that offer humanities. She says “What about people who want to study humanities? My granddaughter wants to pursue a course in economics and she does not want to study in just any college.”
She adds that the CBSE Board is behaving irresponsibly by not announcing the dates of the results.
Another teacher says that each year there are several deserving students from ICSE and CBSE wanting to pursue PUC courses but do not get the subject combinations they want. “Something needs to be done. Early results, increased quota and even delaying the announcement of lists like in the case of Common Entrance Test results are possible solutions,” she says.