Mumbai: Open-schooled student denied admission by KC College

Mumbai University rubbishes college claim that it's routine to give preference to regular boards over private ones

The student made the cut-off percentage to find a spot in the third list declared by KC College

One hopes that when a student with a Learning Disability (LD) scores as high as 81.2 per cent, they get the red carpet treatment. But, the NGO Child Reach has alleged that one of the city's most reputed colleges, KC College, turned away a student seeking admission into their FYBA programme on the grounds that her Std XII results were from the private National Institute of Open Schooling.

The student sought admission to KC College's FYBA programme

Incidentally, her name did appear on the college's third merit list; it was only at the time that she went into admit herself on Monday that they threw the bombshell at her.

NGO cries foul
The case came to light when one of the NGO Child Reach's founder member Priya Deshpande, who is a special educational therapist, said, "The student is suffering from learning disability, but has high IQ. Her name was also in the third merit list that was declared, so her score is clearly under the college's cut-off.

Yet, she was denied admission and told that the allotted seat couldn't be filled by her because her Std XII result is from NIOS."

She added, "We have to raise this issue to bring awareness. A student might appear for Std XII from NIOS for varied reasons, but that should not put them at any disadvantage in any merit list." The parents of the student, meanwhile, have refused to speak to the media over the issue.

College justifies
KC College principal Dr Hemlata Bagla, said, "Regular candidates are preferred over candidates who have cleared Std XII from private boards. It is a practice followed by all colleges to ensure fair treatment to regular students. Additionally, private students sometimes take a gap after completing Std XII, so it has to be verified if it is a fresh candidate or from a previous year."

However, when pressed as to why deny after appearing on the merit list, Bagla said, "There are a number of reasons why admission can be denied – even if a student's name has appeared in the merit list. In this case too, there may have been some mistake in her information in the application form. Specifics will have to be verified."

Varsity's take
Meanwhile, Mumbai University Registrar MA Khan, in a bid to give clarity on admission regulations, said, "There cannot be any discrimination based on which board the candidate has cleared Std XII from. Degree admissions are based on merit, irrespective of the board. Generally though, merit lists of fresh candidates are declared. And if there is a gap in education, they have to be looked into and the candidate has to submit a valid documentary proof to justify the gap."

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!