Uncertainty over Admissions Ends

Elite institutions to admit students like last year

New Delhi: Ending a three week-long uncertainty, the Indian Institutes of Management and other Central educational institutions were on Friday asked to limit their intake for the 2007-08 Academic Year to last year’s capacity, pending the final verdict from the Supreme Court on reservation for the Other Backward Classes.

This directive from the Human Resource Development Ministry came after it was cleared by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Earlier, HRD Minister Arjun Singh had a meeting with the United Progressive Alliance constituents and supporting left parties.

No central instituting could begin admissions until further communication from the Government “in respect of the seats that are proposed to be expanded during the coming academic session.”

With this directive, the approved intake for the coming academic year stands at last year’s 1, 24,377. This includes seats for the two existing reserved categories of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Earlier, as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006 the Government cleared an increase in the intake by 12,216 seats for 2007-08, including 157 in the IIMs and 1,788 in the Indian Institutes of Technology. Of the 12,216 additional seats that were to be added as per the Act, 9, 468 were for the OBCs, 1,832 for the SCs, and 916 for the STs.

Arjun: Committed to OBCs quota, right action at right time.

HRD Ministry’s directive comes after Manmohan’s clearance.

Mr. Singh told the media that the Government was committed to extending reservation to the OBCs in higher education.

Asked about the Government’s option if the court did not vacate the stay on OBC reservation after the final hearing, he said many options were being aired, but the right course of action would be finalized at the appropriate time.

Asked why the Government did not send the latest directive earlier – particularly, since this was what the IIMs proposed to do if the Ministry did not issue further instructions before April - Mr. Singh said there was an apprehension that doing so could impact the case.

Also, since it was a collective decision of the UPA allies and the Left parties to keep the admissions on hold, the Government thought they should be consulted before withdrawing the April 5 directive.

Uncertainty over Admissions Ends