A day after the first merit list for Class XI (FYJC) was declared, students said this year they are opting for colleges near their residence due to the pandemic. Officials from Junior colleges said this year they have witnessed a trend of shift to Commerce and Arts stream, along with less students from private boards opting for FYJC.
Students who have been allotted seats in the first merit list said they do not want to take the risk of commuting too far. Meher Rakjot, a student from Borivli, said, “If colleges reopen offline lectures in the future, I do not want to commute by train amidst the Covid-19 situation. I would rather prefer to study till Class XII in a college that is close to home so that I can commute by my private vehicle or an auto.”
Dhruvend Narapereddy, another student said, “I do not want to pursue Science as I do not want to take additional stress amidst the pandemic. I have opted for Commerce as it does not have any practical learning. This will make it easier to study concepts via online mode. The trend of opting for a far away junior college seems too risky. So, I have opted for a college that is in my vicinity.”
Meanwhile, junior colleges said the pandemic has affected the choices preferred by students for FYJC. A professor of a South Mumbai college, Madhura Nair said, “This year, students are opting for Commerce and Arts at nearby junior colleges. Also, the number of students from private boards seeking admission has dropped.”
Out of 1,17,883 students who have been allotted seats in the first merit list, around 89.8 per cent are from the state board. As per data released by the office of the deputy director of education, 1,05,868 students are from the state board, while 7,167 are from the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE), 3,810 are from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), 571 from Cambridge (IGCSE), 164 from NIOS, five from International Baccalaureate (IB) and 298 from other boards.
