Kolkata: In the first three days of undergraduate admissions through the Centralised Admission Portal (CAP), more than 1 lakh applicants have successfully secured seats in various subjects. Multidisciplinary courses have attracted the highest number of applicants, followed by Bengali, English, history, and political science.
Science Subjects See Declining Interest
Consistent with trends observed over recent years, interest in science subjects has once again dropped this year. None of the top five preferred subjects belong to the science stream. Out of the total 3.8 lakh available seats, 2.1 lakh have been allocated for three-year multidisciplinary courses. Bengali (1,00,801 seats) and history (82,456 seats) are the next most sought-after subjects. Political science has received 63,366 allotments, while English has 56,912.
Humanities Dominate Preferences
Data reveals that the top 10 most preferred subjects are overwhelmingly from the humanities. Geography, with 27,120 seat allotments, is the only science-adjacent subject in the top 10. Core science subjects like mathematics, physics, and chemistry have recorded very low uptake. Although the Higher Education Department has not disclosed exact figures, turnout for these subjects is notably poor.
Experts Call for Curriculum Reform
Sharmila Mitra, a former college principal, emphasized the need for curriculum revision. “We must update our course offerings; otherwise, this issue will persist,” she said. “Students seek courses with job prospects. Other states have revised curricula and introduced high-demand, new-age subjects. After gaining autonomous status, Behala College introduced AI and Cyber Security, which are very popular. A thorough review is essential to prevent increasing student shortages across colleges.”
Another former principal, Purna Chandra Maiti, noted, “If obtaining a degree is the main goal, some students prefer graduating with three minor subjects instead of a four-year major program. This is because job opportunities are scarce and teacher recruitment is irregular.”
Official Optimism
Department officials remain hopeful that this year’s admission scenario will improve compared to previous years, as the process started early. The state education department plans to conduct a comprehensive review based on CAP data.
