| Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006
Mixed signals emanate from engineering admissions
Supplementary counselling held for those who cleared instant examination in July
Chennai: All seats were filled in 19 branches in the counselling under the Single Window System for admissions to engineering colleges in the State. Similarly, in 22 colleges the students took up all seats this year.
The general counselling ended on Sunday. On Monday, a supplementary counselling was conducted for those who failed in the March 2006
higher secondary examination but qualified in the `instant examination' in July. More than 600 students attended the supplementary examination.
Of the 41,398 seats that were allotted in the counselling that ended on Sunday, 10,742 seats were from the Electronics and Communication
Engineering (ECE), accounting for 25.95 per cent, according to a special study conducted for The Hindu.
This was followed by Computer Science, in which 9,665 seats were allotted, making up 23.35 per cent of the total. Information Technology
took the third spot, with 6,438 seats and Electrical and Electronics (EEE) was ranked fourth, with 4,913 seats.
Though there was an increase in the number of Civil Engineering seats allotted this year, when compared to last year,
it still accounted for a mere three per cent. Mechanical Engineering was also not too popular this year, and just under nine per cent of the total seats went to this branch.
Only one student opted for Textile Chemistry and so also for Rubber Technology, while two students joined the Paper and Pulp Technology
branch.
Less patronage
The study showed that core branches such as Chemical, Textile and Biotechnology received less patronage when compared to last year.
"The most surprising fact is that 92 seats in Aeronautical Engineering remain vacant this year,
while all of them were taken last year," according to Salem-based analyst Jayaprakash Gandhi, who studied the admission pattern this year.
Out of the 16,403 seats left vacant after counselling, 13,564 come under the reserved categories.
This is much higher than the 9,122 seats that were vacant last year for these students.
Vacant seats
Four of the self-financing colleges had more than 200 vacant seats, with a college in Vandavasi topping the list with 293
seats lying vacant.
In all, 65,004 students were called for counselling this year, and 41,398 seats were allotted. At the end of the sessions,
23,606 students were either absent or opted out of the system.
This was a better response that last year, when over 30,000 students opted out.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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