Kolkata: The previous govt increased the number of undergraduate seats in colleges in an unplanned way, which led to the problem of vacant seats every year, claimed higher education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay. “Every year around 6 lakh to 6.5 lakh students clear Higher Secondary exams but there are 9 lakh to 9.5 lakh seats in colleges and universities. Institutes were established to serve political interests,” Chattopadhyay said. “If only 6.5 lakh students are passing their HS, how can 9.5 lakh seats possibly be filled? So the problem is due to a lack of a visionary approach to the expansion of higher education.”He added, “Right now, the higher education department is focused on completing the college admission process smoothly. Until the process is completed, we cannot provide you with a clear picture.”The centralised admission portal (CAP) opened on May 19 this year. Out of more than 9 lakh seats, 3.8 lakh seats have been allocated. An official said, “In 2025, out of the 4,21,301 students who registered in the centralized admission portal, only 2,69,777 took admission, which came to around 28.81%. The total number of UG seats is 9,36,215.”
