Colleges have been instructed to update the onboarding activity

MOHALI: The Higher Education Department has instructed all the private and aided colleges to conduct admissions in this session only using the centralized portal. As per the instructions of the department, all the private and aided colleges affiliated to Panjab University Chandigarh, Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and Punjabi University Patiala have been asked to follow the instructions immediately and update the information on the portal for the session 2023 admissions. 

Accordingly, the colleges have been instructed to update the onboarding activity and update all the information on the common portal by May 31. If the colleges do not do so, the grant-in-aid for the session 2023-24 may be delayed due to non-compliance with the government instructions. It is worth mentioning here that a common portal was launched by the department in the session 2021-22 under which admissions were conducted in government colleges.

Private and aided colleges were also directed to take admissions through a common portal during the 2022-23 session, but the decision was shelved due to protests. During the meeting held during this session, accepting the decision of the government and accepting the demand of the colleges, it was verbally agreed to do the admissions only through offline mode. According to the department, students will get an opportunity to apply for admission in several colleges at the same time.

Students will get information about courses, seats, fees, merit etc. Through this process, the department also wants to monitor the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER). Along with this, keeping an eye on the school leavers, they want to provide them with skill renewal and employment opportunities. Apart from online admission, students will also be helped to apply government schemes like scholarship, transport etc. 

Colleges have been asked to update details of college profile, courses offered, seats and fees etc. in the onboarding profile. In the courses, the college will also have to state whether the course is regular or self-financing.

Full details of available seats under all quotas will also have to be given. Fee information should contain detailed information about government charges, university charges and college charges. Separate WhatsApp groups have also been prepared for all the colleges affiliated to the university. The department issuing these instructions in the middle of the admission process has once again created concern among the colleges as the colleges have already started the admissions through offline mode.