With 1.70 lakh applications in just five days, 143 government colleges of TN see a rise in demand for seats amidst COVID pandemic

Amid the pandemic crisis, demand for seats in government arts and science colleges is witnessing a significant rise. The application process for TNGASA started on July 26 and in just five days, over 1.70 lakh students submitted applications.

Going by the initial trend, it is expected that this time the Tamil Nadu Government Arts and Science College Admissions (TNGASA) will receive a record number of applications, as applications can be submitted till August 10. There are 143 government colleges in the state, and a total of 1.06 lakh seats are available.

Factors like 100 per cent pass in State Board Class 12 results, declining interest in engineering, and the craze of private colleges dying down since classes are now online, have contributed to the rising demand of government colleges. Last year, TNGASA received 3 lakh applications for 90,000 seats. The number is expected to increase significantly this year.

Academicians feel there is an urgent need to increase the number of college seats or devise alternative methods like second-shift classes. “Almost 8.16 lakh students have passed Class 12 State Board this year. Add to this the number of students from CBSE too. How and where are we going to accommodate all of them?” asks the principal of a government college, who requested anonymity.

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers’ Association president T Veeramani noted that every year the government increases 20 per cent seats in government colleges. “That much will be increased this year too. But more than that is not feasible. We would not have the infrastructure or enough teachers to accommodate all of them,” he added. Higher Education officials said they are looking into the matter and steps will be taken to tackle the situation.

Second shift classes
Academicians feel there is an urgent need to increase the number of college seats or devise alternative methods like second-shift classes to accommodate all students this year. “Almost 8.16 lakh students have passed Class 12 State Board exams this year. Add to this the number of students from CBSE too. How and where are we going to accommodate all of them?” asks the principal of a government college, who requested anonymity.