Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Junior College Teachers’ Federation has made a formal appeal to the state government, calling for the immediate suspension of the online admission system for Class 11, particularly in rural areas. Citing several reasons, in a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the federation has urged that junior colleges in non-urban regions be allowed to continue admissions through the traditional offline process.
The federation argues that the move is not only premature but also detrimental to the educational and financial well-being of students and families in these regions. The letter emphasises that the necessary infrastructure, such as consistent internet access and availability of digital devices, remains severely inadequate across large swathes of rural Maharashtra.
Mukund Andhalkar, General Secretary of the Junior College Teachers’ Association, Mumbai Division said, “In many remote and tribal areas, students and their parents often lack access to Android smartphones, let alone the digital literacy required to navigate an online admission system.”
Compounding these challenges is the growing exploitation of students and their families by cyber cafés and private agents, who charge fees under the pretext of offering technical assistance. This financial burden is especially concerning for economically weaker sections, including girls who are otherwise entitled to free education but are now being asked to pay processing fees just to apply for admission.
Teachers working in rural colleges are also reportedly facing increased pressure due to this system. Even during the summer vacation, many educators have refrained from taking leave in order to assist with the technicalities of the online process, often with little success. According to the federation, this has not only led to professional burnout but also failed to yield any meaningful results.
Further delays in the academic calendar have also become a recurring issue. The digital system, plagued by frequent technical glitches — including a major outage on the very first day of the current year’s admission cycle — often leads to the late commencement of classes, resulting in significant academic loss for students.
The federation warns that enforcing an online admission model in its current form will create more obstacles than opportunities for students in rural Maharashtra. It will not only increase their financial burden but also restrict access to education for those already on the margins of the system. They have therefore urged the government to immediately halt the extension of the online admission system in rural areas and restore the offline process, allowing educational institutions the flexibility to conduct admissions in a manner best suited to their local context.
