New Delhi, 5 March 2021: There has been a lot of disruptions in the college admission process of 2020 due to the pandemic. The recent episode of Fair Talks organized by FairGaze discussed the findings which indicated that over 90% of respondents feel that the students may face significant challenges for their college admissions due to the pandemic.

The panelist included Mr. Girish Chhimwal, Deputy Registrar of the Maharishi University of Information Technology, Ms. Bhawna Khanna, Principal of Delhi Public School, Ms. Swati Singh, Director of Craft PPL Combine and Ms. Saroja Sahadevan, Director and Principal of Sahara Advanced World School who was also the moderator of the session.

The research findings indicated that over 87% feel that the lack of clarity on the college admission process and the delay of entrance exams will lead to significant challenges in college admissions. Over 92% of the respondents feel that there is an urgent need for solutions to ensure easy process and accessibility of college admission process and over 91% would like schools to play an active role in helping senior students understand undergraduate courses and college admissions.

Interestingly, 65% of the respondents feel that the parents’ demand to reduce the college fee for online classes is acceptable though over 76% agree that the college authorities have faced a major setback due to the pandemic.

Sharing his perspective, Mr. Chhimwal said that lockdown and subsequent confusion around college admission created a mess during the college admissions season and the college academic session could start only in December 2020, which otherwise should have begun in July 2020.

Answering the question on what school leaders can do to assist students in college admissions, Ms. Bhawana Khanna said the schools have implemented many steps to facilitate school students to get college admissions including open talks with colleges, aptitude tests to choose appropriate careers, alumni sessions, etc.

Ms. Swati Singh pointed out that pandemic created the much-desired breathing space for students to plan their careers, profile building, and stream selection, and even though there might have been a major impact due to delayed exams, many institutions in India and internationally which has reduced their cut-off, asks and other exemptions.

Ms. Saroja Sahadevan, summarising the session said that the pandemic has brought a lot of new opportunities and unlocked various potentials.

FairGaze is the leading school media and an engagement ecosystem for holistic development, which works with various stakeholders and policymakers, including organizers of premium events associated with the education industry. FairGaze engages with over 350,000 students from over 13,000 schools across India. FairGaze works with schools to help manage their newsletter, conduct holistic development programs, promote the sports and cultural functions of the schools and recognize the achievements of the students.