Maharashtra to integrate CBSE, ICSE results for admissions

Mumbai: The government plans to improve the admissions process for first-year junior colleges (FYJC) by integrating students' results from CBSE and ICSE schools into the system. This move comes after an admission fraud was discovered at some colleges in the Somaiya Group last year. Currently, students from the state board automatically have their scores included in the FYJC admission system. However, CBSE and ICSE students must manually enter their marks, which are then verified at colleges or special centers. Last year, an investigation found that some students used fake marksheets to secure their spots in college, leading to arrests. To prevent such incidents in the future, the school education department is working with the central government to link the FYJC admissions system to the DigiLocker platform. DigiLocker securely stores academic records. The department has confirmed that they will integrate CBSE results, and discussions are ongoing to include ICSE results as well. School education commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh stated that they are exploring all options to enhance the verification process. He noted that colleges will also be instructed to verify student scores using the Umang portal, which provides various government services. This year, FYJC admissions will be conducted centrally online across the entire state, a change from previous years when it was only available in certain regions.