The recent announcement by the AP State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE) regarding a special round of counselling for admissions into private colleges has ignited a fervent controversy. The decision, outlined in Government Order 74 (GO 74) released on Thursday, November 2, has left students and parents who participated in the initial two rounds of counselling feeling somewhat aggrieved. According to the new directive, students who have already selected their preferred colleges in the initial rounds are ineligible for special counselling, and this has stirred considerable dissatisfaction among them.
The students and parents from the first and second rounds of counselling believe that they should have the opportunity to participate in the forthcoming round as well. They argue that this would provide them with a chance to secure a spot in more prestigious private engineering colleges, known for their robust campus placement opportunities. Consequently, parents associations and students are contemplating staging protests and demonstrations in response to this development.
The essence of GO 74 lies in its aim to fill the 27,613 vacant seats in all private engineering colleges across the state, and it is clarified that this special round of admissions is a one-time measure for the current academic year. Additionally, vacant seats in engineering colleges affiliated with AP universities and their constituent colleges are also set to be included in this special round. Notably, the directive strictly rules out any form of spot admissions in the university and constituent colleges.
A student hailing from Anantapur, who participated in the second round of counselling and secured admission in a private college in Gooty, laments her missed opportunity to gain a seat in a renowned private college on the outskirts of Anantapur. She believes that if she were allowed to participate in the special round of counselling, she could have gained admission to a superior institution.
Gujjala Eeswaraiah, the General Secretary of the Parents Association of AP, expressed deep concerns regarding the government’s decision, asserting that it will negatively affect numerous students across the state who now have no chance to opt for an alternate college in the third counselling round. Eeswaraiah alleges that the special counselling round was introduced to support private colleges with vacant seats and insists that all students should be allowed to participate in the third counselling, thus enabling them to choose the colleges they desire.
A retired professor from JNTU-A took issue with the recent APSCHE GO, arguing that if a student is allowed to participate in the first and second rounds of counselling, it follows logically that they should also be granted access to the third or special round of counselling.
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