Kolkata: In the race for undergraduate college admission, female students have surpassed their male counterparts, with 59% girls — over 2.5 lakh — securing admission to undergraduate degree programmes.
After the upgrade round, 4.3 lakh students have submitted admission fees out of the 5.2 lakh candidates, who had filled their applications through the centralized admission portal (CAP).
Among the 5.3 lakh candidates who had applied for UG admission, nearly 3 lakh were female and 2 lakh were male. The same trend prevails in the admission scenario after the upgrade round, too.
A higher education department official said, “The figures show that women’s participation in higher education has increased significantly over the past few years. Numerous schemes, including Kanyashree, are facilitating girl students from different social backgrounds to pursue their higher studies, which is reflected in the admission figures as well.”
A Kolkata college principal said, “It is quite a relief that over 59% women (out of 4.3 lakh taking admission) have secured admission to continue their higher education. However, the data regarding the admission of male candidates is quite concerning. It is necessary to analyse where the rest have gone. Have they shifted to technical courses or job-oriented courses? How many of them have dropped out from pursuing higher studies and why? These questions need to be investigated.”
Another principal stated, “It’s clear that female students from a backward section could take advantage of pursuing their studies due to Kanyashree. But for male students, it is a bit challenging. If they are mediocre students and the financial condition of the family is not good, then they opt for either job-oriented courses or prefer to pursue certificate courses alongside a small job rather than opting for degree courses where, after four years, getting a job is also uncertain.”
The department has found that of the total admission figures, the highest number of male students, 14,546, have enrolled in history major for the four-year degree programme, while the highest number of females, 28,732, have secured admission in Bengali.
After the upgrade round, physical verification for students will be conducted from July 31 to Aug 7, after which the mop-up round will be initiated. The department has asked college and even school principals to reach out to the students so that no aspirant is missed out.