Mumbai: In the wake of the junior college admission fiasco, several SSC schools that were planning to switch over to ICSE are now in a dilemma.

During a debate in the legislative council about SSC students being preferred over ICSE and CBSE students, State Education Minister Vasant Purke directed ICSE schools to open colleges for their students from next year or face a penalty.

In a fix

The issue is now in the high court and a final decision is expected soon. But several SSC schools are now reconsidering their decision. "Our plans for a new ICSE school have been delayed by a year now. But the last-minute announcement by the government asking ICSE schools to start their own junior college has put us in a fix," said R Varadarajan, president of National Education Society, which runs an SSC school in Bhandup.

Dilemma

An SSC school from south Mumbai too is in two minds. An official from the school said, "Looking at the problems ICSE students are facing this year for admissions we are debating whether to convert to ICSE till Std X. But we have to think about the education minister's statement too."

Some schools prefer to wait and watch. Rohan Bhatt, principal, Children's Academy
School, Malad, said, "One of the requirements to start an ICSE junior college is one acre of land. We have half an acre to start classes till Std X. We hope the government will come up with some solutions to this issue," Bhatt added.