UG admission data show girls trumped boys in pursuing higher education

Kolkata: Girls pursuing higher education in the state are showing a steady increase with female candidates outnumbering their male counterparts in undergraduate (UG) admission in the state after the completion of first stage admission on Sunday.

As per data of the Higher Education department, 59 per cent of the candidates who have sought admission in UG are female and the rest 41 per cent are male. According to a department official, out of 4.03 lakh candidates who sought admission, 2.37 lakhs are female. The applications for admission were nearly 5,27663. The total seats in the UG level in colleges across the state is 9.67 lakhs . About 2.62 lakh candidates were admitted in 4-year UG honours course while 1.41 lakhs have sought admission in three years pass course.

“Interestingly, male students in large numbers opted for Arts. Maximum number of male students opting for Bengali Honours is 42318, followed by History (34778) and Political Science (26656),” said the official. The next round of admission for filling up 4.5 lakh odd vacant seats will be held after August 6. However ,as per estimate of the department, 1.25 lakh seats that accounts for nearly 27 percent will remain vacant after the end of the entire admission process.

The centralised portal for online admission was opened on June 24 for admission to seats in 461 colleges and 16 universities closed on July 6 midnight.

Welcoming the trend as an encouraging sign, the principal of a south Kolkata college said: “Latest trend indicates more girls are opting for higher education. The boys are enrolling in technical science-oriented disciplines in higher

educational institutions while girls should opt for the general stream.”