‘Changes in eligibility for admissions to meritorious schools to reduce competition’

Divya Sharma

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 20

The lowering of the marks for appearing in the entrance test for admission to Senior Secondary Residential Schools for Meritorious Students has not gone down well with educationists in the city.

Earlier, students of government schools having scored 80 per cent or above in the matriculation examination were eligible to appear in the entrance examination but now students with 55 per cent marks can also get themselves registered at www.meritoriousschools.com. The eligibility for SC/ST students has been kept at 50%.

Col (retd) RC Patial, former principal of the school for meritorious students in the city, who had resigned last month, said, “Though there is an entrance test, it may impact the quality of education in the long-run. There will be less number of merit holders now as the eligibility has been reduced.”

Such schools were open for students scoring 80% or above from economically backward status to study in an English medium school having world class facilities.

The school at the Attari Verka bypass was constructed on 10 acres leased out by Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in 2014. However, with the changing of the guard last year, the working of such schools has been making headlines almost on a daily basis. Principals of most of the schools and even project director Maj Gen KAS Bhullar (retd) had resigned.

The city school has been facing a number of problems.

There are around 500 seats for three different streams, including 100 for medical, 300 for non-medical and 100 seats for commerce. At present, there are 28 teachers for over 323 students. Soon, 10 out of 28 teachers will leave their jobs for their appointments under the master cadre. The situation was not such when the batch had begun in 2014. The staff strength was complete. However, as per sources, without regularisation of jobs, teachers are looking for other options.

It is worth mentioning here that out of four posts sanctioned for mathematics, three are vacant. Similarly, out of four teachers for the Punjabi subject, there are only two teachers. For chemistry, five teachers are doing the job of eight teachers. Besides the staff issue, the school has not received funds to pay pending bills.

Funds are being provided under Society of Quality Education for Poor Meritorious Students of Punjab.

Officiating Principal Daljit Kaur said, “We have written to the higher authorities. We are hopeful that quick action will be taken to address the problems.”