2.2 lakh girls, 1.6 lakh boys on UG admission merit list on day 1

Kolkata: Female students surpassed the number of male students in the first phase of UG admissions through the centralised admission portal. Over 2.2 lakh girls have secured admission in the first phase compared to 1.6 lakh male students. On Tuesday, the higher education department released the merit list for the first phase of UG admissions. Out of 9 lakh seats, 3.8 lakh students received seat allotments. On the first day of admissions, nearly 13,000 students secured their seats. Among them, more than 8,000 were female and over 4,000 were male.The higher education department said the same trend was observed during the form submission phase. College principals said they were impressed that female participation in the admission process was significantly higher than male participation. Many said social welfare schemes and scholarship facilities were major drivers for female students from rural areas while others said female students were more inclined to pursue core degree courses and male students leaned towards job-oriented courses.A college principal said, “It is a great relief that such a huge number of female students are keen to continue their studies. We need to work together to ensure these students do not drop out midway.” Another principal from a Kolkata college said, “It is clear that social schemes and scholarship facilities are providing the necessary financial support so they do not have to depend on their parents to fund their education.”Several principals also said declining interest in core science subjects among male students contributed to their falling numbers, as most shifted to engineering courses or pursued skill-based courses to secure jobs. “Since teacher recruitment exams became irregular, the number of male students has been declining. However, it became remarkably low after the four-year degree programme was introduced, because many are not ready to spend an extra year facing career uncertainty,” a principal said.The admission process will remain live until June 15, and the upgraded list will be published on June 20. The first phase of admission will continue till June 15.