Ramadoss urges state to increase seats in govt colleges

CHENNAI: Pointing out to large number of students applying for seats in government arts and science colleges, PMK founder S Ramadoss urged the government to increase the number of seats in those colleges by 50 per cent.

In a statement, the senior leader said that around 1.81 lakh students have applied to get admission in 164 colleges till Wednesday. “Since the last date for applying is May 20, the number of applications may cross 3.5 lakh. The number of applications are increasing every year, but the government has failed to take measures to increase the seats,” he added.

There are 140 courses in government arts and science colleges with 1.07 lakh seats. The government would increase the seats by 25 per cent if the number of applications are more. “Even if the seats are increased by 25 per cent, not even 40 per cent of the applicants get seats,” he said.

In 2022-23, more than 2.98 lakh applications were received and in 2023-24, the applications crossed 3.02 lakh. This year it is expected to cross 3.50 lakh. “Despite the increasing number of applications, the government failed to add the seats. Moreover, students applying to join government colleges are from poor background. If they are denied seats in government colleges, they may not join higher studies. This will affect the admission ratio,” he warned.

Ramadoss also pointed out that there is a demand for courses like Artificial Intelligence due to higher job opportunities. But, it is disappointing that such courses are not started in government colleges.

“To provide opportunities to all the applicants, the number of seats should be increased by 50 per cent and Artificial Intelligence courses should be started in 50 per cent of the colleges at least this year. Infrastructure and faculties should be strengthened to accommodate additional students,” he urged.

In a separate statement, party president Anbumani Ramadoss demanded to phase out old buses.