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
