July 16: About 10,454 vacant seats are still available in the first-year junior college classes in the three streams, with the largest number in the commerce stream.In the pending case of centralisation of admissions, the Bombay High Court has given several directives to be strictly adhered to. According to one directive admissions made on the basis of merit should be category-wise.A principal of a minority college observed, ``Confusion reigned supreme as admissions are allotted category-wise. It meant one admission list for minority students, one for the in-house students etc. This, coupled with the usual frenzy among students to go for the more reputed colleges, has compounded the problem.''There are 3463 vacant seats in arts, 1555 in science and 5436 in commerce, according to a chart from Deputy Director of Education (DDE) office. A DDE spokesperson said that most of these vacancies are in the junior colleges attached to secondary schools as students tend to go for independent degree colleges which report increasing number of candidates seeking admissions.Principal D B Kadam of Bhavan's College told Express Newsline, ``The five per cent reservation for students under six special categories including handicapped, defence and freedom fighters had been entrusted upon us. On July 11, we handed over the admission list to the government. The government should decide fast on whether the principals should continue with the five per cent reservation. Students keen on joining junior college attached to a degree college are waiting to take this opportunity.''J M Abhyankar, DDE, Greater Mumbai, told Express Newsline that a decision on who will be exercising the five per cent reservation will be taken within a day or two.The president of Principals' Association of Non-Government Colleges, M G Shirhatti said, ``The government has instructed the colleges having vacant seats to fill up by July 11. If the vacancies still exist, once again admissions can be done following High Court directives to this effect. The students who have failed to get admission will have to be in touch with any of the 17 admission centres put up by the government.''The admission centres are set up at J J Girls High School, Fort, Marwadi Commercial High School, Chirabazar, St Columbus School, Gamdevi, Anjuman-Islam-Saif Girls High School, Byculla, Nabar Guruji Vidyalaya, Dadar, Central Railway Employees High School, Parel, D S High School, Sion, Swami Vivekananda High School, Kurla, Chembur High School, Chembur Naka, Ramji Ashar High School, Ghatkopar, National High School, Bhandup, Khilnani High School, Mahim, Patuck Technical High School, Santacruz (E), Parle Tilak Vidyalaya, Vile Parle, G P P High School, Parle (West), Sarvodaya Balika Vidyalaya, Malad, Balbharati Vidyalaya, Kandivali.
