Mumbai: Now, students from secondary schools run by the same management and located in the same revenue district as the junior colleges will be eligible to seek admission under the in-house quota. But for Mumbai, Mumbai city, suburbs and Thane will be considered as one unit.After receiving complaints from various stakeholders, the state govt issued a circular on Saturday revising the rule for the in-house quota for first-year junior college (FYJC) admissions and widening its scope. In an information brochure released earlier this month, it had restricted the quota only to students from schools running ‘within the premises’ of the junior colleges. The rule was opposed by managements and created confusion among students and parents. TOI had highlighted this issue on May 21.In Mumbai, most junior colleges with an in-house quota are attached to degree colleges and schools are either in the same vicinity or a little away from the campus. A principal pointed out that many students look forward to the quota to secure seats and the problem is probably unique to Mumbai colleges. Till last year, the quota was reserved for schools run by the same management in any given division. College managements, which also run secondary schools, are permitted to set aside 10% of seats under this quota.An official told TOI that since FYJC admissions have been centralised this year in the state, it was decided that a school and a junior college cannot be in different districts and, therefore, ‘within the same premises’ was used in the brochure. An educationist said govt needs to do thorough research and have inputs from the ground before issuing guidelines, and not as an afterthought.The circular said the rule was revised following a discussion a day earlier among the school education secretary, the commissioner of education, and the director of secondary education.
