Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday issued a formal notification regarding 15 percent reservation in medical and engineering colleges for government school students.
“The State Government do hereby direct that 15% of seats in Medical and Engineering Colleges of the State shall be reserved for the students who have passed the 10th Board Examination under the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha from Government High Schools and also have passed the 12th Board Examination under the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Odisha from any Government Higher Secondary School/Government Junior College,” the Skill Development and Technical Education Department said in a release.
“Such reservations shall be horizontal covering all vertical reservations as well as Unreserved Group,” the notification added.
The circular clarified that the government high school includes the aided High Schools, Higher Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges of the State as defined in the Odisha Education Act, 1969. (Odisha Act 15 of 1969).
The medical courses in relation to a Medical College include MBBS, BDS, BHMS, BAMS, BSMS, and BUMS. Similarly, the engineering courses in relation to Engineering Colleges include B. Tech, B. E., and B. Arch.
“For the purpose of removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that such eligible students shall also be entitled to compete for the unreserved seats,” the notification said.
“Where an adequate number of such eligible students are not available for seats so set apart, such unfilled seats shat be filled up by the other students of respective category,” the notification added.
Justifying the 15 percent quota, the government said, it has come to notice that the students studying in Government High Schools are found to be at a disadvantageous position compared to their counterparts in private schools while appearing in entrance examinations like NEET and JEE for their career growth, as they do not have the access, nor the economic capacity to avail coaching for Medical and Engineering entrance examination for which the success rate in the said entrance examinations is not proportionate to their number.
In order to remove the inequalities and to facilitate entry of students of Government High schools in Engineering and Medical Courses of the State, a High-Power Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Justice AK Mishra, retired Judge of Orissa High Court to make necessary recommendation regarding reservation of seats for the students of Government High Schools in the Engineering and Medical Courses of the State.