Big relief for Kerala students: 7,200 new Plus One seats announced after admission crisis

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday sanctioned 120 additional Plus One batches across four districts in the Malabar region to address the shortage of higher secondary seats in north Kerala.

According to a statement issued by the office of General Education Minister, the additional batches have been allotted to Malappuram (60), Palakkad (30), Kozhikode (20) and Kasaragod (10).

Each batch will accommodate 60 students, creating 7,200 additional Plus One seats in the four districts.

The government said the decision fulfils the UDF government's election promise to ensure adequate Plus One seats for students and is aimed at resolving the long-standing admission crisis in the Malabar region.

The order comes after concerns over a severe shortage of Plus One seats, particularly in northern Kerala, where demand has consistently outstripped availability.

Last month, the Education Department had recommended the creation of 120 temporary batches after finding that retaining last year's additional batches would not be enough to meet this year's demand. The proposal was later placed before the state Cabinet for approval.

The seat shortage has been most acute in Malappuram, which has witnessed the state's highest number of Plus One applicants. Officials had also identified significant shortages in Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kasaragod, prompting the government to intervene.
Authorities had earlier converted unfilled reserved seats, which were originally set aside for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and educationally and socially backward communities, into general merit seats to maximise admissions. However, the measure failed to bridge the gap completely, leading to the decision to create additional batches.