The West Bengal Higher Education department has decided to put in place a centralised web-based online portal for online admission to undergraduate degree courses in state-run and state-aided colleges and universities.

In a circular, the department said a 10-member committee consisting of Technology Head of MAKAUT Pritimoy Sanyal, Dinabandhu Andrews College Principal Dr Somnath Mukherjee, Additional Director of Public Instructions Madhumita Manna among others will monitor the implementation of the 'centralised online admission portal' in coordination with Higher Education department officials.

"The department of Higher Education has decided to use a centralised web-based online admission portal developed by Webel Technology Ltd for the Under Graduate general degree courses in West Bengal from 2023-24 academic session in all government, government-aided colleges, unitary universities, and state-aided affiliating universities..." the notice, copy of which has been made available to PTI on Wednesday, said.

This excludes autonomous colleges, minority educational institution colleges, training colleges, law colleges and universities offering courses like fine arts, crafts, dance, music, engineering, pharmacy, nursing, medical colleges and self-financing private colleges, it clarified.

A Higher Education department official told PTI the system, which will be implemented from this academic session, when the admission process will start after the publication of higher secondary and other plus two board examination results, will negate the possibility of interference of college unions in the admission process to UG courses and ensure total fairness and transparency.

As part of the new system, a student can apply to whichever state-run or state-aided college/university offering UG course he/she wants by logging into a single portal rather than logging into the admission portal of a particular institution which will not give him/her the opportunity to check in others.

The UGC recently issued notice to universities and colleges to follow a Common University Entrance Test - Undergraduate (CUET - UG) but the West Bengal model, applicable to state-run and funded institutions in the state, is not the same as CUET - UG and developed with the state's specific requirements in mind, the official explained.

West Bengal Education minister Bratya Basu recently said the state wished to put in place a centralised admission portal for admission to UG courses.

Basu had advocated following the same method one year back before the beginning of admission to UG courses but the Higher Education department backed out as several higher education institutions had cited lack of infrastructural support to enforce such a system with immediate effect.

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