OJEE 2013 Online application starts

After much delay, the government finally started mandatory online filling up of forms for Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) on Wednesday even as private engineering colleges have moved the Orissa high court demanding offline option along with the online mode.

Students can log on to www.odishajee2013.com to fill up the form. They can deposit the examination fee of Rs 550 online as well through net banking, debit/credit cards or offline through bank chalans in Syndicate Bank/State Bank of India branches.

"Students have enough time to fill up the forms as the procedure will continue till March 20," said OJEE secretary Priyabrata Sahoo.

Odisha Private Engineering College Association on Friday filed a petition in the Orissa high court seeking a direction to the government to allow offline filling up of forms along with the online option.

"Last year when both online and offline mode was available, only 13% students opted for the online mode while the rest 87% exercised the offline option. Our students need some more time to get used to online applications," said OPECA honorary secretary Binod Dash.

The decision to introduce mandatory online mode of application was taken by bureaucrats bypassing the policy planning body, the apex decision making body on such matters by providing misleading information to the departmental minister, Dash alleged.

OJEE authorities said the students will anyway have to submit online applications from next year when Odisha will be part of the national level pre-admission test for admission in professional courses from 2014. OJEE 2013 is the last state level test.

While medical entrance is out of the purview of OJEE this time, as national eligibility-cum-entrance test replaced the state level tests, the government has brought admission of bachelor of ayurvedic medicine (BAMS) and bachelor of homoeopathic medicine (BHMS) courses under it.

Along with these, admissions in engineering, MBA, MCA, pharmacy and architecture courses in the state are done on the basis of OJEE. The entrance is scheduled to be held on May 12. Around one lakh students are expected to appear in the test.