Social activist Vivek Velankar has criticised the delay in issuing the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) notification for engineering and pharmacy admissions in Maharashtra, saying it is adversely affecting students.
In a letter addressed to Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Velankar pointed out that although the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) results were declared more than a week ago, the CAP admission notification for engineering and pharmacy courses is yet to be released.
He said the delay is unjustified, as the admission process itself takes several weeks to complete. According to him, it typically takes around three weeks from the issuance of the notification to complete the first round of admissions, while the fourth and final round is concluded only after about six weeks. As a result, the commencement of the first semester gets delayed, leaving students with less time to complete their academic syllabus.
Velankar noted that in previous years, the CAP notification was issued immediately after the declaration of the CET results. He alleged that there is no valid reason for the present delay and attributed it to the inefficient functioning of the State CET Cell.
Shristi Bhagat, a Class 12 pass-out, said, "I want to take admission to an engineering course, but the CAP notification has not been issued yet. The delay is causing a lot of problems because if I don't get a good college here in Pune, admissions in other cities may also get over. Even if the first CAP round starts, we will at least know the cut-offs and can make a decision accordingly."
Rutu Khole, another student, said, "All these entrance exams are rigged; it's just that the NEET exam got exposed. Last year, the CAP notification was issued as soon as the CET results were declared, but this time they are not releasing the dates, and it is putting all of us under strain. Most of my friends have already joined colleges, and their academic sessions have started. Here, we are still wondering whether we will get a college or not. I scored 70 percentile, and all the colleges I have visited have told me I won't get into any government college. I don't know what my future will be because there is no certainty."
Prakash Chawala, a parent, said, "The situation is unacceptable and inexplicable. We urge the Higher and Technical Education Department to release the CAP notification without further delay to ensure that the academic schedule is not disrupted and students do not suffer unnecessary setbacks."
