Odisha Govt Notifies 15% Reservation In Medical & Engg Colleges For Govt High School Students

Bhubaneswar: As per its earlier announcement, Odisha government on Wednesday came up with a notification for reservation of 15 per cent of seats in medical and engineering colleges for government high school students.

In a notification, the Skill Development and Technical Education Department said that as the government high school students are at a disadvantageous position compared to their counterparts in private schools while appearing in entrance examinations like NEET and JEE, the state government had constituted a high-power committee on January 8, under the chairmanship of Justice AK Mishra, a retired Judge of Orissa High Court to make necessary recommendations regarding reservation of seats for government high school students in engineering and medical courses in Odisha.

The Committee, in its report, submitted the following recommendations:

—15% reservation in favour of students of government high schools in admission to medical/technical education courses of the state be extended.
—Such reservation is to be operated horizontally, covering all vertical reservations as well as general unreserved groups.
— The government can issue a notification in exercise of power under Section-9 of the Odisha Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007 to give effect to the above.

Acting on the Committee’s recommendations, the state government has directed that 15% of seats in medical and engineering colleges of the state shall be reserved for students who have passed the 10th Board Examination under the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha and also have passed 12th Board Examination under Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), from any Odisha government higher secondary school/government junior college and such reservations shall be horizontal covering all vertical reservations as well as the unreserved group, the notification added.

The notification has further explained 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 while medical courses in relation to a medical college include MBBS, BDS, BHMS, BAMS, BSMS and BUMS and the engineering courses in relation to an engineering college includes B.Tech, B.E. and B.Arch.

It further said that the eligible students shall also be entitled to compete for the unreserved seats and in case, adequate number of such eligible students is not available for seats so set apart, such unfilled seats shall be filled up by the other students of respective category.