After the counselling by the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination board, the two most desired engineering streams at Jadavpur University is stated to be ‘computer science and engineering’ and ‘electronics and telecommunications’ which altogether accounted for 70 seats out of 261 vacant BTech seats. On Wednesday, the university began independent counselling to fill the vacant seats within a four-day period. Until the start of JU’s seperate counselling, 38 seats out of 86 in computer science and engineering, and 32 seats out of 86 in electronics and telecommunication were vacant.
The surprising number of openings were discovered after JU assembled data from withdrawal forms sent to all enrolled first-year students. JU had asked how many students might leave after the JEE board completed centralised counselling in late September in the form. Students who typically rank in the top 200 of the Bengal JEE chose computer science and engineering, as well as electronics and telecommunication engineering at JU. The number of vacancies in the two desired streams suggests that many top state JEE scorers have chosen other institutes such as IITs and NITs over JU. According to a computer science and engineering professor, some students left because the IITs “provide a better brand image.”
“The cost of studying engineering at JU is a fraction of that of, say, the IITs.” However, the improved brand image is driving away students. “Some people decided to pursue MBBS and then drop out,” he explained. However, JU students are shifting to institutions with higher fees, not only because of a better brand image, but also because of infrastructure and placement opportunities. When JU began a separated counselling in 2014, following the state government’s decision that state-aided universities could not keep BTech seats vacant, only 147 students participated.
According to a JU official, even the house policy, which charged the reservation of 90% of engineering seats in JU in the general category for students who passed their Plus II board exams in Bengal in 2019, is not stopping the withdrawal of bright students. Bhaskar Gupta, dean of the engineering and technology faculty, stated that when students have so many options to choose from, it is natural for them to select the best ones.
