Hyderabad: Despite the availability of several vacant seats in degree colleges, nearly 5,000 candidates have not been allotted seats as per their first preference during the third phase of counselling for admissions. Parents and students are panicking because many of them have received text messages over the past couple of days, stating that the seats allotted to them in the third phase of counselling have been withdrawn due to a technical glitch.
The management associations of degree colleges in the state say that Degree Online Services, Telangana (DOST), has failed to satisfactorily conduct online admissions. They say that there have been many technical problems and multiple postponements of the third phase of counselling.
They are demanding a fourth phase of counselling to place the remaining students. As a result of the technical errors, some students have even been allotted seats at colleges with no vacancies.
Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, the general secretary of the Telangana Degree College Management Association, says, “About 5,000 students have not been allotted seats during the third phase of counselling due to technical errors. We have asked the State Council of Higher Education to conduct a fourth phase of counselling for these students.”
He says that the third phase of counselling had to be postponed at least thrice before it was finally conducted. “This is the second year of degree college admissions being conducted online, but the DOST website still has many technical glitches due to which students and colleges are facing issues. An official should have rectified all the technical issues before beginning the admission process,” he says.
Ravi Kiran, a student seeking admission in the third phase of counselling, says, “We were extremely glad when we saw the list displayed in the first phase of counselling, but it was immediately taken down from the website due to some errors. We are worried as there is no clarity about the admissions in the third phase of counselling. A few students have said that they have not been allotted seats as per their first preference in the third phase of counselling even though there are many vacant seats.”
Professor V. Venkata Ramana, vice-chairman of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education, said, “A list of allotted seats was put up on the website after the third phase of counselling. Students downloaded their details, but due to some genuine technical glitch, the list had to be withdrawn. Students received texts messages from our Technical Support Centre for Good Governance stating that the lists had been withdrawn and that re-allocation would be done. Students and parents need not panic as we are working on resolving the problem at the earliest.”
He adds that a meeting has been called for resolution of the issue and that a solution will be arrived at by Thursday.
