MALAPPURAM: The shortage of enough higher education options for 10th passed students in the district has been looming large over their future prospects this year too. For the 79,816 students who became eligible for higher education this year, only 54,442 seats are available and this figure includes all the seats in Higher Secondary schools, VHSEs, Polytechnics and ITIs in the district.
Around 25,368 students would have to seek other options including open schooling. Once the results of the SAY exam, CBSE, ICSE 10th standards are published, the figure will go up further adding to the already scarce situation.
The statistics of the last decade clearly show that there are no infrastructural developments in tandem with a steady growth in the 10th results in the district. The total SSLC pass percentage of the district has grown from 61.91per cent in 2006 to 98.30 in 2015. This year, the percentage is 95.84, a decrease of 2.46 per cent.
In 240 higher secondary schools including government, aided and unaided segments only 49,686 seats are available in 985 batches for Plus One. In the case of Vocational Higher Secondary schools, there are 2,175 seats in 87 batches. 1,494 seats are available in seven Polytechnics and 1,087 seats in six Industrial Training Institutes in the district.
Many organisations raised the issue of the lack of more higher educational options over the past few years. Followed by agitations, the government had approved more batches in higher secondary schools besides new schools. But the organisations accuse the government of failure to provide sufficient infrastructure.
Despite the stark reality of shortage of seats, the district has achieved stunning success in the annual 10th exams. 83,285 students had sat for the SSLC exam at various schools in Malappuram and bagged a record of 3,555 A+ grades in the state.
