1083 seats vacant in Govt. Colleges, Panchkula

Chandigarh: With 1083 seats lying vacant in Government Colleges, Panchkula, authorities have been now compelled to hold a third round of counselling from July 13 onwards. On the contrary, Chandigarh is facing immense competition in the admission process to its undergraduate courses,

Out of a total of 1,810 seats available in the under-graduate courses in the two government colleges at Panchkula, only 727 have been filled ever since counselling began on July 6. The final round of counselling will be held from July 13 to 15 and if vacant seats are not filled up, which is likely, the institutions will re-open their web portal for fresh online applications.

Government College, Sector 1, the oldest in Panchkula, still has 691 seats vacant out of a total of 1,060 seats. Principal, GC-1, Archana Mishra, asserting that teachers and infrastructure in the government colleges, Panchkula are at par with those in Chandigarh says, " it is the location and aspiration of studying in 'Chandigarh' which drives students towards the city. Panchkula has always been under Chandigarh's shadow in terms of education. But we get students from as far as Naraingarh and Baddi (HP). BPEd is popular among students. Our students have made it to international sports competitions."

Government College for Girls, Sector 42, Chandigarh's Principal, Mani Bedi, said "More than facilities, it is largely the mindset of students, who consider Chandigarh to be a better place to study that brings them here. Also, there is more competition and more opportunities for career growth in Chandigarh, where students come from different states and not only from Haryana."

Dr R P S Josh, Member, Punjab University Senate, highlights the recent ranking of PU in global ranking surveys as a major cause of attraction for students from other regions to Chandigarh.

However, Panchkula teachers give the UT pool granting 85 % reservation for admission to PG courses- as the other reason for students preferring to getting themselves into Chandigarh colleges. This also explains the tough competition existing for admission to Class XI in Chandigarh schools.

"There are not many PG courses in Panchkula colleges. MSc is not available, so students will have to go to KU, which is in Kurukshetra, Haryana. So, they prefer Chandigarh, which is near by and a popular city. If they pursue graduation from Chandigarh, they will get advantage of being in UT pool. However, students from Panchkula are deprived of it," said Dr Adarshdeep Kaur, from GCG-14, Panchkula.

For outstation students from interior Haryana, including Hisar and Jind, GCG-14, Panchkula is the preferred study destination. The growing admission numbers have made the college take a decision to add another hostel and add another 180 seats .

"Students from interior districts want to study in Panchkula, as they are lured by its proximity to Chandigarh," Ms. Kaur added. A majority of students studying in the two government colleges come from Panchkula town, rural areas of Barwala and Raipur Rani, Naraingarh and other districts of Haryana, they are entitled to 85 per cent reservation under the Haryana pool.