Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Single entrance test for engg, architecture seats from 2018

But Nat'l Exam Won't Include IIT Admissions
The Centre has approved a proposal for a single entrance examination for engineering and architecture at the undergraduate level from 2018. It will be on the lines of the national eligibility and entrance test (NEET) for medical colleges.
The human resource development ministry has asked the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to issue a “suitable regulation“ for the implementation of the proposal from the academic year 2018-19. The test will be conducted multiple times a year, as is the case with college admission tests like SAT in the US, and is intended to bring uniformity in academic standards and reduce the influence of donations.
The test will, however, not include admission to IITs, wh ich will continue to hold their own entrance exams. IITs, unlike private and state colleges, are not seen to be affected by fluctuating standards and admission processes.
According to a senior HRD ministry official, “Admission for IITs will continue as per the present scheme.IITs will conduct the joint entrance examination (advanced). Students who qualify after JEE (mains) can appear for the JEE (advanced) exam. Approximately , 2 lakh engineering aspirants qualify to appear for JEE (advanced) exam.“ The proposal on holding only one entrance exam for engineering admissions is seen to be in “accordance with the policy of the government to improve standards and the quality of engineering education“. At present, many states conduct their own engineering exams or admissions are done on the basis of Class XII marks. Engineering colleges in five states use the score obtained in JEE (mains) as the basis for admission. There are 3,288 engineering colleges across 27 states, with most of them in Tamil Nadu (527), followed by Maharashtra (372), Andhra Pradesh (328), Uttar Pradesh (295) and Madhya Pradesh (211). The HRD ministry has asked AICTE to ensure that the testing process is standardized, keeping “in view the linguistic diversity of the country“. According to AICTE sources, the exam is to be conducted in multiple languages like NEET, which will be conducted in 10 languages this year.
The ministry has requested all state governmentsdeemed universities “to communicate their constructive suggestions for the smooth implementation of the regulation“.It has also said it would help if as many institutions as possible come under a joint seat-allocation system for a more efficient seat-allocation process.

Source: TIMES OF INDIA-11th February,2017