Mumbaikars welcome court nod to ‘best five’ formula

MUMBAI - Academicians, parents and students Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order asking the Maharashtra government to extend the ‘best five’ formula for Class 11 admission to students of the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board.

The formula was earlier proposed to be applied only to Maharashtra’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) board students.

Reacting to the court order, Rekha Vijaykar, director of Guru Harkishan High School in suburban Santacruz, said this is exactly what was required to be done by the state.

“The formula by the state government should be honoured in its totality. Let other boards also have the same formula,” she said.

The Maharashtra government came up with the ‘best five’ formula in February. A government resolution said marks obtained in any five of the six subjects in Class 10 exams by an SSC student would be taken into account for admission to Class 11. An SSC pass-out, therefore, will be able to choose the five subjects in which he/she has excelled.

Seema Buch, principal of Gundecha Education Academy that follows the ICSE board, said: “As long as the policy remains the same for all the boards we have no problems. It is a good thing that students of ICSE board will also benefit.”

Students, on the other hand, said they just wanted the admission process to start.

Prakruti Maniyar, an SSC board pass out, is impatient. “‘Best five’ or not, it is high time for the admission process to start. It is already late and by the time colleges start doing so, it will be September. How can then we expect to finish the curriculum on time,” she questioned.

Agreed Anil Vajirani, father of a student who passed Class 10 under the ICSE board. “I am glad the verdict has been in favour of granting admission by the best five formula to ICSE students too,” he said.

“I would be just as happy if the admission process started right away. It is too late to wait now.”

The percentage of ICSE board students were based on all seven subjects but under the ‘best five’ formula, the percentage of SSC board students was to be calculated by taking into account five of six subjects in which they secure the highest marks.

The Bombay High Court had rejected the ‘best five’ formula, after which the state government approached the Supreme Court.

A division bench of the high court in its verdict on the formula questioned the formula following several public interest litigations filed by aggrieved parents of children who passed out from the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, asking why the same facility was not available to students of other boards.