Colleges, aided or self-financing, are going beyond the Government quota to admit students who excel in sports.
Most of them do not stop with merely giving admissions, but also sponsor the education as well as the coaching / training in the sport the students are good at till they step out of college.
It is true that there are some colleges that do not get candidates under the sports quota or those who do not admit them due to lack of infrastructure. But the ones that do admit, have opened their doors wider to accommodate more number of deserving ones.
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They account for more than the stipulated three per cent and can be found anywhere between 20 and 80 in each college.
Colleges keep a separate budget to fund the academic and sports requirements of the players / athletes.
K. Murugavel, Director, Department of Physical Education, Bharathiar University, is very happy with the response from the colleges and says he cannot ask for more.
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“It is a win-win situation for the candidates as well as for the colleges. While the students, with less marks and from economically poor / rural backgrounds get a chance at higher education, the colleges get name and recognition for the achievements of the students as they participate and win accolades in various tournaments,” he says.
The Directors of Physical Education of arts and science colleges say that marks are not the criteria for admitting students under the sports quota.
It is based on their performance at the divisional level and above, and the requirement of the colleges based on the positions vacant in the various teams. Colleges ensure that at any given time the number of members in a team is maintained.
B. Navaneethan, Director of Physical Education at PSG College of Arts and Science, says the college has admitted 80 students this year, out of which 38 will be fully sponsored.
Concessions and sponsorships for other players / athletes will be based on their performance in tournaments they represent the college in.
The college has 17 teams across various disciplines of sport.
Though the numbers may not be similar, other colleges too follow the same principle.
S. Parimalam, Physical Director of Nirmala College for Women, says the college fully sponsors 10 students and partially sponsors 10 others.
At any given time, there are around 40 such students across the three years that the college supports. The college has 12 teams.
Colleges that admit students under the sports quota ensure that they receive professional training and get opportunities to play tournaments at various levels, in India and sometimes even abroad. This, along with the college education, ensures that the students receive the best of both worlds.