At least three city institutions are contemplating changes to their admission processes in the light of central school boards’ decision to scrap the Class XII board exams this year.

All three said that meetings were under way to finalise the plan.

St Xavier’s College (Autonomous) is “considering” some kind of “filtering process” and may conduct “online interviews” to make the final selection from the shortlisted candidates.

Loreto College is hoping the government would allow online “entrance tests” to select its undergraduate students this year.

The Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur, has begun seeking opinion from its teachers on how undergraduate students may be selected for admission this year.

Reverend Father Dominic Savio, principal of St Xavier’s College, Calcutta, said: “Along with the final result marks (of the boards), some weightage — say, 25 per cent — may be given to an online interview, if conducted.”

For a state-aided college like Loreto, the state government’s approval is mandatory if it has to make any changes to its admission process.

Government and government-aided colleges affiliated to Calcutta University have not been able to conduct entrance tests for the past two years following a directive from the state higher education department to maintain “parity across institutions”.

“In the light of board exams being scrapped, we are wondering whether the (state) government will allow the colleges to conduct online entrance tests,” an official of Loreto College said.

The colleges are also waiting for a decision from the state higher secondary board, given the large number of students from the state board who seek admission to their courses.

Father Savio said: “The college will wait for a few days to get more clarification regarding the format and calculation of Class XII results, to be published by the respective boards. As far as science departments are concerned, a substantial number of students apply from the state board. So, the college will wait for the decision of the state board.”

He said if there’s no (state board) examination, the college might conduct interviews in the subjects applied for to determine whether a student “has a proper inclination and aptitude for the subject chosen”.

If, for example, 50 seats are available in a particular subject, the college may prepare a shortlist of 100 candidates on the basis of the board marks.

“A final list of 50 candidates may be finalised on the basis of 75 per cent weightage to the board marks and 25 per cent weightage to the interview,” Father Savio said.

Alternatively, some departments may conduct a written online entrance test for the shortlisted candidates on a designated date and time, he said.

Swami Ekachittananda, principal of the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur, said: “We will hold several rounds of deliberation before taking a decision in this regard so that the bright students can be screened.”

Lady Brabourne College will admit students on the basis of board marks.

“We have stopped holding entrance tests from 2019 and have been granting admission based on (board) marks alone. This year, boards like the CBSE and the ICSE council will prepare the results based on some mechanisms in the absence of exams. We will give weightage to the results alone,” said principal Siuli Sarkar.

Both Jadavpur University and the Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, are waiting for all the boards to make their announcements before taking a decision.

An official of Presidency University said the institution admits students solely on the basis of admission tests.

“Last year, the university could not conduct the admission test during the pandemic, and the teachers worked out a mechanism where weightage was given to Class X and XII board marks.”