Calcutta University (CU) will hold a second independent counselling on November 24 as seats have remained vacant in the BTech programme.
The university conducted a survey among absentee students after it came to its attention that some students had been staying away from classes. CU held its first independent counselling in early October as seats remained vacant following a centralised counselling conducted by the state JEE board.
A CU official said 58 of the 253 BTech seats are still vacant. A notice signed by Amit Roy, secretary of the University College of Science, Technology and Agriculture, says: “Online applications are invited from state-domiciled eligible candidates for admission in the 1st Year of 4-year BTech course against vacant seats in different streams/branches of engineering and technology through decentralized counselling”.
The notice lists details of the 58 vacant seats.
“Vacancy may increase at the table of counselling,” says the notice. The university has started receiving applications from Tuesday and the process will continue till November 21.
Metro reported on November 7 that some of the students enrolled in the four-year BTech programme at CU are not attending classes, prompting the university to contact the absentees to know why they were staying away from classes.
“We contacted the absentee students over the phone. So far it has emerged that 58 seats in 10 disciplines are vacant. These students have enrolled in other institutions, too. The higher education department had in September asked universities to fill vacant seats through independent counselling,” said a CU official.
Sanatan Chattopadhyay, a CU professor, said the university held independent counselling before the Puja vacation as 68 of its 253 BTech seats were vacant after the completion of the centralised counselling.
“Repeated counselling does not augur well. This means the enrolled students are not inclined to study at Calcutta University. The seats will get filled up eventually, but we are worried about the quality of students,” he said.