Move to scrap separate cutoff for sports draws flak

The Joint Admission Committee’s (JAC) move to not to have separate cutoff for admissions under sports quota for five engineering and the region’s lone architecture college has drawn flak from a section of aspirants.

The Joint Admission Committee’s (JAC) move to not to have separate cutoff for admissions under sports quota for five engineering and the region’s lone architecture college has drawn flak from a section of aspirants.

A number of sportspersons who seek admissions to the institutes have approached the JAC demanding reconsideration of the decision.

This year, JAC has decided to keep a cut-off of 62 marks in AIEEE, the score that CBSE declared would be the minimum marks required for admissions for candidates of the general category. JAC, however, has decided that candidates coming under the sports category would also require the same score for admissions.

Those opposed to the move question why JAC has decided to do away with the different cut-off system for sportspersons which has, until this year, been an integral part of the admission process.

They also argue that when the system has different cut-offs for backward class candidates, SC and ST candidates, there should be one for the sports category as well.“With this decision, a student who has played at the national and international level but has not secured the required marks will not be able to secure admission. The move will prove to be detrimental to talented sportspersons,” said a parent of a candidate seeking admission under the sports quota, Sunil Bansal.

Dr SS Bhatnagar University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology chairperson and JAC in-charge US Shivhare said that the decision was taken after taking on board all stakeholders institutes.

“We have received a representation from some aspirants who come under the sports category. However, in a recent meeting, we decided to go ahead with the move,” he said. An official who is part of the JAC said that the decision was aimed at getting more talented people under the category.