Mumbai: State minister for higher and technical education Uday Samant on Friday clarified that no entrance exams will be conducted for admission to junior college and colleges under state universities for students who completed Class 10 and 12, respectively. Admissions will be carried out based on their board marks and not any entrance exam, Samant said in a conference in the city. Qualifications required for those seeking direct admission to second-year engineering diploma courses earlier had to compulsorily clear subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology. Henceforth, from the 2021-22 academic year, students can clear three out of any of these subjects including computer science, business studies, electronics and information technology among others in order to directly admit such students,” said Samant.

In a major relief to students from the disputed Maharashtra-Karnataka border area, Samant said the candidates will not have to produce certificates claiming they are from the “disputed” area. These students faced difficulties in obtaining the certificate from the local competent authorities in Karnataka. A government official said the move signifies that the state government cares for people in the region. From now on, these students can seek admissions in Maharashtra simply by mentioning the region, said the official.