North Kerala Plus One Applicants Face Neglect Again This Year

Quick Summary

• Kerala’s Plus One admissions have closed, leaving many applicants in north Kerala districts and Thrissur unable to secure seats of thier choice.
• Data from the Education department highlights a shortage of 53,996 seats across higher secondary, vocational streams, ITIs, and polytechnic colleges despite a 30% marginal increase in capacity.
• Out of 4.22 lakh students eligible for higher studies after SSLC exam results statewide, only 3.85 lakh seats are available.
• In north Kerala districts and Thrissur alone:

– Applications totaled 2.46 lakh but seat availability stood at just 1.92 lakh.
– Malappuram district recorded the most severe gap: over 79,000 eligible students with only ~52,750 seats available.

• Classrooms are overcrowded; instead of recommended limits (30-50 students per class), many have between 65-72 students.
• North Kerala experiences fewer science batches compared to other regions; temporary batches announced for years haven’t been made permanent nor adequately staffed.

Indian opinion Analysis

The critically important seat-shortage crisis in Kerala’s higher education system underscores systemic inefficiencies despite government interventions like temporary seat increases or batch shifts from southern districts.The concentration of demand in northern regions remains unaddressed structurally-temporary solutions cannot meet sustained growth rates seen year-on-year post-exam results.

Overcrowding in classrooms raises concerns about quality education delivery and compliance with National Education Policy recommendations. Science stream scarcity further hints at unequal regional distribution within academic options that could disproportionately affect career choices for affected students.

Long-term corrective measures ensuring proportional expansion of facilities alongside adequate staffing must be prioritized by policymakers moving forward to uphold equitable access across Kerala’s educational landscape.

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