The IITs currently admit students through the joint entrance exam or JEE(Advanced) exam which is conducted by the institutes themselves on rotation.
An April IIT Council meeting saw the Union government suggesting that one way to lessen the pressure on students and lessen the hold of test-prep institutes over admission to the premier engineering institutions was to perhaps have one common entrance exam for all centrally funded technical institutions (CFTIs) -- an idea that was promptly shot down by the IITs.
The government’s plan would entail scrapping the JEE (Advanced). The minutes of the April 18 meeting were released on Thursday.
According to the minutes, an item titled “need for common admission test for all CFTIs” was introduced during the meeting by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) chairperson Anil D Sahasrabudhe.
“A detailed discussion was followed in the matter among chairmen of IITs and other members of the council. It was decided to have brainstorming sessions in the next three to four months to examine the various facets of the issue in light of the assertions of the NEP (National Education Policy) 2020, and the overall well-being of students across the country,” the minutes said.
The minutes emphasized that the reduction in the number of entrance tests would not only reduce the burden on students but also “reduce the coaching needs”.
The IITs currently admit students through the joint entrance exam or JEE(Advanced) exam which is conducted by the institutes themselves on rotation. Candidates first have to clear JEE (Main), which is conducted by the national testing agency (NTA) for other CFTIs including the National Institute of Technologies and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology , before appearing for the JEE (Advanced).
Sahasrabudhe confirmed that the proposal was presented before the council “keeping students’ welfare in mind”. “It is in line with NEP 2020 that advocates common entrance exams to reduce students’ burden. However, it is still in a very early stage of deliberations.”
NEP 2020 advocates common entrance exams for admissions to higher education institutions. The Centre last year. introduced a common university entrance test (CUET) for undergraduate and postgraduate admissions to all central universities .
Officials present at the meeting said the directors of most IITs were not in favour of a common entrance. “Majority of the IITs are not in favour of becoming a part of some common entrance exam for technical institutions. The selection process of IITs is very extensive and the institutions cannot compromise on it. It is unlikely that IITs will agree for a common entrance exam in near future,” said a director of an IIT, who asked not to be named.
The director of a second IIT, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “There is a need for broader academic consultation before adopting any such change. This has to be discussed at the senate of respective IITs. At this point, it is unlikely to be adopted. Besides, IITs will lose their exclusivity if they become a part of a common entrance test.”
According to the minutes, the council was also asked to review the existing pattern of entrance examinations in a way that minimizes the coaching requirements for the students. IIT Delhi has been asked to do this and “submit a proposal to the Ministry within five months,” the minutes read.
Officials at IIT-Delhi did not respond to queries but a member of the IIT Council, requesting anonymity, said, “There are concerns over the way examinations are conducted and the difficulty levels of JEE(Advanced) exam. It is likely that a committee will be formed to relook at and review the entrance exam process.”
The minutes also stated that the IIT Council was also asked to organize JEE(Advanced) in various Indian languages just like NTA conducts JEE (Mains) in thirteen languages including English and Hindi. Currently, this text is conducted only in English and Hindi. .
The IITs were also asked to prepare their vision documents and strategy for the next 25 years for IITs@2047. “An overall vision document of IITs shall be framed within one year, and a short term strategy paper within three months,” the minutes added.
Disclaimer: This Article is auto-generated from the HT news service.
