SHILLONG, May 26: In a first in the state, the Education department on Thursday issued a notification finalising the protocols and timeline for admission to undergraduate courses in colleges in the state.
As per the notification, colleges have been directed to issue admission forms and prospectus via both online and offline modes at reasonable cost without taxing the students.
The last date of submission of forms for B.Sc. and B.Com has been fixed as June 3. Declaration of the first list and waiting list will be done on June 6. For B.A., the last date has been fixed as June 10 for submission of forms and June 13 for declaration of the first list and the waiting list. For professional courses (except LLB) the last date for submission of forms is June 14 while declaration of the first list and waiting list will be done on June 16.
It was also informed that students should be provided with at least seven days for payment of fees from the date of declaration of the list of admission.
All institutes have been directed to create a website link and upload a simple admission format for the students to download the forms. Institutes have to upload a notification in the website informing that admission forms can also be downloaded from any cyber cafe and community service centres in the respective blocks or districts.
It was informed that a blended option of online and offline submission will be adopted and online submissions can be made as soon as documents are available with the applicants.
For offline submissions the institutions shall collect the admission forms in a staggered manner as well as limiting the number of persons to a maximum of only 400 students per day and separate sessions may be designed if there is a rush in submission of forms.
The institutions have been suggested that in case of an unanticipated rush, institutions may also devise innovative methods to collect the admission forms e.g. using alphabetical order of names of student applicants (A-D, E-H, etc., with varying range) or by method of segregation of gender of the students or by allotting respective time schedule during working hours.
Payment of fees for various courses with respect to the institutions should only be made via online mode using various online bank transfer/payment portals authorised by RBI. Institutes have to provide dedicated bank account numbers along with other details such as bank name, branch, IFSC code either to be mentioned in the application form or displayed in the website and that the payment of fees can be made offline in cases where the students are from remote areas (only) where this mode is the only viable option. Cash or cheque payment may be accepted in such areas after ensuring all protocols and social distancing norms are strictly followed.
The second phase of admissions to various stream /courses will be open again from June 23 onwards and the same modalities ensuring that all protocols and maintaining of social distancing norms are to be strictly followed, the notification added.
Earlier in the day, the UDP’s Shillong City youth wing met Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui and demanded a uniform process of admission by all institutes in order to provide equal opportunity and convenience to all the students seeking admission.
Stating that the students applying for admission after the declaration of the SSLC and HSSLC examination results have to encounter the primary problem of having to apply to a number of colleges in an attempt to secure admission, president of the UDP youth wing, Manbhalang Syiemlieh said, “We have seen difficulties with some institutes giving the students very limited time to submit the forms and also payment of fees.”
“We urged the Education minister and the department to intervene and ask the educational institutes to have uniformity with regard to the submission of forms and payment of fees so that it will give equal opportunities to the students,” he added.
