Thiruvananthapuram: An additional 97 batches are needed to resolve the shortage of Plus-One seats in the state, the Education Department recommended to the State Government.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty called on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and handed over a recommendation letter in this regard on Monday.

“Around 5,000 seats are still required. A decision on the same will be taken in the next Cabinet meeting,” he said.

The minister had promised that the government would allot additional seats this year too as was done previously.

Shortage acute in Malappuram

The minister had earlier assured that a list at the taluk level will be prepared in Malappuram where the shortage of seats is the worst. This after reports that 28% of candidates in the district from where the maximum number of students had passed the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination were unable to get an allotment.

Thousands of students are unable to get a seat or get admission in their favourite subject in their favourite school even after the completion of the first two allotment rounds of the Plus-One admission process.

In Malappuram district, only 34,183 of the 81,022 applicants have got allotment so far. A total of 46,839 candidates are out. This includes children who got A+ in all subjects. Only 13,438 reserved seats are left for allotment. According to the figures presented at the District Development Committee meeting by the Higher Secondary Department, there are no seats for 12,816 applicants, even if management and community quota seats in aided schools and seats in unaided schools are added to the allotment process.

The second supplementary allotment list for Plus-One admission was published the other day.