Kolkata: Jadavpur University (JU) has approached the state Higher Education department seeking permission to conduct an independent spot counselling round for undergraduate engineering admissions, bypassing the centralised process conducted by the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB).
In a recent letter addressed to the Director of Technical Education of the department, JU’s Dean of Engineering and Technology, Saroj Mandal, requested approval to conduct a single round of on-spot decentralised admission, immediately after the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) 2025 results are declared.
According to the letter, this move could save four to five weeks and enable an earlier start to the academic session.
This proposal comes amid delays in the publication of WBJEE results. Though the entrance test was conducted on April 27, legal complications surrounding OBC reservations have stalled the result declaration. University officials fear the delay, already over four weeks compared to last year, could further disrupt an already extended admission schedule.
Currently, JU admits students based on the WBJEE General Merit Rank (GMR) and reservation norms through the centralised counselling system, which takes around five to six weeks. An additional four weeks are spent on JU’s own decentralised spot round to fill vacant seats. This is followed by the AICTE-mandated three-week student induction programme. Only after that can regular first-year classes begin.
“In the previous year, after the completion of all the above admission formalities, the first-year classes began as late as early November, leading to an extremely tight and squeezed time schedule,” the dean’s letter noted.
“As a result, the teaching-learning of the students in the first year was adversely affected and resulted in a large number of supplementary cases in theoretical subjects.”
Meanwhile, the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) has also recently submitted a deputation to the pro vice-chancellor (pro-V-C), urging intervention. “Because of the delay, engineering admissions and the academic session are in limbo,” said JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Ray. “Meritorious students are moving to institutes outside the state, and many underprivileged but talented candidates may miss out on the opportunity to study at JU, which offers low-cost, high-quality education.” Ray confirmed that the pro-VC has written to WBJEEB, requesting the immediate release of results to avoid further compression of the academic calendar.