No word yet on Phase 2 engineering counselling despite Madras HC clearance

For the first time, the Higher Education Department has decided that vacant seats arising out of students not joining their allotted courses or discontinuing after joining the college can be filled via another phase of counselling.

The Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) started the engineering admission process on August 26 and completed the formalities, including the allocation of seats to the students, during October last week.

The government’s decision to conduct the second phase of counselling following the request of the DOTE, which had indicated that due to lockdown restrictions many students, especially those who studied in government schools, could not avail of the 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation quota.

A senior DOTE official, seeking anonymity, said till now the government has not issued an official notification about conducting the second phase of engineering counselling.

Pointing out that this academic year, provisional allocation of engineering seats was made to as many as 95,069 students, he said still about 45,000 engineering seats were vacant in colleges across the State.

“Only 7,876 students who had studied in government schools have availed the 7.5 per cent quota against the total available seats of more than 10,000,” he said adding, “the second phase of counselling will also ensure that students in the state-run schools could still avail the quota besides general candidates who had opted their preferred courses, could get the seats that were vacant”.

Stating that induction programmes have already started in many engineering colleges for the first-year students, he said: “In addition, classes have also started for the freshers and second round of counselling should be conducted as soon as possible since many students will be benefited without losing the academic sessions”.

However, he said the government would also ensure that the students who join college through the second phase of engineering counselling will be given special attention to cope with the slight academic loss.