Abhyspeeth Education Desk
Mumbai : The already competitive First-Year Junior College (FYJC) admission process in Maharashtra faced a sudden and frustrating disruption this week, as the second part of the online application form — the section where students select their preferred colleges — remained inaccessible for over 28 hours. This unexpected suspension left thousands of students and their families in a state of confusion and distress.
The glitch was triggered by technical updates related to the in-house quota system, which the Directorate of Education decided to revise mid-process. As a result, the decision was made to temporarily halt access to Part 2 of the application from 11 a.m. on June 3 to 2 p.m. on June 4. However, the announcement about the suspension was posted on the FYJC admission portal with little advance notice, causing many applicants to panic.
While students were still able to fill out Part 1 of the form — including their personal and academic details — they couldn’t proceed to choose their colleges, which is a critical step in securing admission. This led to crowds gathering at divisional education offices, particularly in Mumbai, as parents and students sought clarification.
According to Dr. Shriram Panjzade, in-charge director of the Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Directorate, the decision to pause Part 2 was made to avoid confusion during system updates. “If Part 2 had remained open during the in-house quota revisions, it would have led to major errors and miscommunication. We understand the inconvenience, but this was necessary to ensure a smoother admission process,” he said.
The impact was felt most heavily in Mumbai, where over 1.19 lakh students have already registered. Across Maharashtra, the total number of registrations crossed 12.13 lakh, with more than 9.92 lakh applications finalized and locked. But because of the glitch, many were unable to complete the full process within their preferred window.
Complicating matters further, students from non-state boards — such as CBSE and ICSE — faced rejection when their marks were below 30, despite eligibility under their respective systems. This issue led to yet another wave of confusion and forced many to personally visit the Mumbai divisional education office for support.
Current FYJC Application Statistics (as of June 4):
Total Registered Students: 12,13,457
Paid Registrations: 11,34,433
Finalized & Locked Applications: 9,92,039
Applications for Regular Rounds: 10,07,366
In-House Quota Applications: 53,166
Management Quota Applications: 26,586
Minority Quota Applications: 41,041
Even though access to Part 2 was restored around 3:30 p.m. on June 4, the delay has raised questions about the resilience and planning of the centralized admission portal, especially during peak admission periods. For students who rely on every single hour to finalize choices, such delays can have a serious impact on the fairness of the process.
With form deadlines extended and the system stabilized for now, the Directorate has assured that further decisions — including any additional extensions — will be taken based on ongoing conditions and student needs.
