Admission to colleges in West Bengal via online mode this year

Admission to colleges in West Bengal for under-graduate courses will be through online mode this year and students will t be called for counselling or verification of documents due to COVID-19 pandemic, state Higher Education department said.

department in a tification on Thursday said after publication of higher secondary results, admission to all under-graduate courses in state-funded higher educational institutions for ensuing academic session will be made online (stand alone mode) with effect from August 10, 2020.

"Prospective candidates should t be called for counselling or verification of documents during process of admission," tification said, adding that eligible candidates should be emailed by college and all testimonials will be uploaded online during verification.

Verification of documents should be done only when students report for classes in due course, tice said.

Reacting to tification, All Bengal University Teachers Association (ABUTA) said in a statement, "it will t be possible for many students in rural as well as urban areas to get benefit of online admissions in present COVID- 19 situation." Left teachers' body said: "While internet connectivity is weak in many rural pockets, many parts of state including Kolkata have been turned into containment zone. Students in containment zones will have to risk ir lives to visit a cyber cafe and upload data."

ABUTA leader Goutam Maity said, "if government maintains classes cant be immediately held due to COVID-19 situation, why such tearing hurry for starting admission." Education minister Partha Chatterjee said on Wednesday that students will take admission to colleges in state for under-graduate courses through online mode this year, due to COVID-19 pandemic.