India, Aug. 31 -- The newly introduced Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions has created unintended challenges for rural students, especially girls. While the state government envisioned a streamlined, merit-based system, the reality in villages is quite different.

Many girls from rural areas have been allotted seats in colleges located far from their homes. Due to safety concerns, unreliable transport, and financial constraints, parents are unwilling to send their daughters on long commutes. For families with limited incomes, hostel facilities and private transport are simply unaffordable.

As a result, several rural girls are either skipping admissions altogether or settling for less-prefer...