451 - Single Entrance Exam for IITs to be held in two parts

Single Entrance Exam for IITs to be held in two parts September 07, 2012  New Delhi :With a view to reducing the burden, in terms of time, finances and the stress caused in scheduling and preparing for multiple entrance examinations, on both, the students and parents, the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) had, in its meeting on 14.09.2011, endorsed 'in-principle' the proposal of a Common Entrance Examination for admission to undergraduate programmes in Engineering. Based on the discussions held amongst the various stakeholders, including those from the IIT system, it has been decided to hold a Joint Entrance Examination from the year 2013 for admission to the undergraduate programmes in engineering in two parts, JEE-MAIN and JEE-ADVANCED.  Only the top 1,50,000 candidates (including all categories) based on the performance in JEE-MAIN will qualify to appear in the JEE Advanced examination. Admission to IITs will be based only on category-wise All Indian Rank (AIR) in JEE-ADVANCED, subject to condition that such candidates are in the top 20 percentile of successful candidates in Class XII examination conducted by their Boards in applicable categories.  Admission to NITs will be based on 40% weightage for performance in Class XII Board marks normalized on percentile basis and the remainder 60% weightage would be given for performance in JEE-MAIN and a combined AIR would be decided accordingly. This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development , E. Ahamed in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. IANS

450 - The new IIT JEE pattern: A necessary revamp or a major disaster?

The new IIT JEE pattern: A necessary revamp or a major disaster?

By DU Beat Editor

From Buzz around Delhi, New Delhi

Posted Sep 1st 2012 12:00PM

Education, literacy and entrance examinations have always been a subject of popular debate in our country, with thousands of student its aspiring every year to get through some of the best educational institutes of the country, like the IITs, NITs, AIIMS, etc. The Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) has always been an elusive examination for most students, with lakhs of students preparing every year to attain the coveted tag of being an IITian, with only 1% getting through. The IIT JEE examination is considered the toughest engineering entrance examination in Asia, and those who crack it pride themselves in doing so.

In May 2012, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Kapil Sibal announced a revamp of the IIT JEE examination, with the inclusion of all the major engineering entrance examinations of the country into one single examination- Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test (ISEET). The new pattern consisted of two examinations- the ISEET Main and the ISEET Advanced. The top 40,000 students of the ISEET Main examination would be allowed to appear for the ISEET Advanced, which granted admission to the premier institutes of engineering like the IIT's and NIT's. However, ranks would be determined by taking 50% of the score of the advanced examination and 50% of the class 12 board examination results.

This proposal had earlier been pending in the Parliament, but was passed this May, causing uproar throughout the country. Students as well as parents protested against the inclusion of the class 12 board examination marks and the IIT senates immediately condemned this decision of the government. IIT Delhi moved the High court two weeks after the declaration of this decree. IIT Kanpur moved a step ahead and announced its very own entrance test from 2013.

Amidst this entire confusion, there were hotly contested debates on various public forums, with writers like Chetan Bhagat and Directors of 'prestigious' coaching institutes condemning the decision to include the class 12 board marks and they labelled this move as an attempt to lower the standard of the IIT's, which are the pride of India. The IIT senates felt extremely insulted by this impeachment on their autonomy. A student studying in a coaching centre in Mumbai said, " I took a drop after my class 12 to prepare for IIT JEE, and I hadn't fared very well in my boards as I was busy preparing for IIT JEE. Now that the pattern has changed, does the government expect me to go back and give my class 12 boards again? Before, cracking the JEE was important. Now, if class 12 marks determine our ranks, then where will students who have taken a gap year go?"

However, the Director of the Vidyalankar group of coaching classes felt that this decision was a wise move. With coaching classes branching out all over the country, IIT JEE had become an examination for conditioned mind sets, not academic brilliance. With the implementation of the ISEET, students would become more serious about attending school and performing well in the boards. The practice of integrated school- cum- coaching classes like Bansals and Narayana would soon disappear and students could again go back and enjoy their school days – something they deserved and which they should not be averse to. He also added that his coaching centre offers coaching for both class 12 and IIT JEE. Looks like business strategies are changing as fast as the education system.

With increasing dissent all over the country and a complete deadlock over the course of the future of thousands of children sitting for the entrance examination in 2013, Kapil Sibal organized a meeting with the IIT directors and finally came to a consensus about the pattern of the ISEET examination. The proposal for 50% weightage on class 12 board marks was scrapped and it was decided that students in the top 20% of their board would be allowed to sit for ISEET Advanced. The number of students eligible to sit for ISEET Advanced now increased to 1,50,000. The agitation slowly died down, as the decision makers came to a consensus without taking the views of the children into account, which is usually always the case when it comes to education. Take the implementation of the semester system in Delhi University as an example.

With the ISEET implemented, the students still haven't received any intimation in regard to the pattern of the new exam and are still in the loop about whether their board marks will be scaled down while assessing their ranks or not. We can now just wait and watch the outcome of this new exam- a political gimmick, most people say, before the 2014 elections. Whether it will be a huge disaster like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medicine (NEET), which was a complete failure last year, or a success...only time will tell.

Ankita Mukhopadhyay

ankitam@dubeat.com

449 - State students not creative enough for IIT standards R. Ravikanth Reddy-The Hindu

State students not creative enough for IIT standards

R. Ravikanth Reddy

Students are trained to crack the JEE, but education at IITs emphasises on creative work and capability to learn new things fast. Unfortunately, these students are poor on both counts

The joy of reaching their dream destination is turning out to be a short-lived one, apparently due to a faulty training system that only prepares students to enter the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

The suicide of an IIT Kanpur student, Vaditya Nehru, has once again brought to fore the pressure on State students to perform at the IITs. It has also exposed the mismatch of quality of training they get at the Intermediate level and the stringent academic standards maintained at the institutes.

The rote mode of learning and getting trained to crack the IIT-JEE are the banes, apart from the inability to handle the pressure in such a competitive atmosphere.

Nehru, who hails from Miryalaguda, allegedly took the extreme step unable to match the academic standards. Last year, L. Nitin Kumar Reddy of Chittoor committed suicide in IIT Madras for similar reasons.

There have been quite a few earlier too, apart from those who have made unsuccessful attempts. In most cases, academic pressure was the main reason.

“In IITs they are exposed to a totally different academic style, unlike what they learn in junior colleges, and unfortunately, they are not prepared well,” says R.V. Raja Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of RGUKT, who was a faculty at IIT Kharagpur earlier. “Their conceptual understanding is less. They get admissions due to the grinding they go through for the entrance exam.”

Interestingly, some professors from Andhra Pradesh working in IITs conducted an internal study to pinpoint the lacunae among Telugu students. Their study found that most of them lack creative skills or they don’t adapt to the new system easily. Education at IITs emphasises on creative work and capability to learn new things fast. Unfortunately, they are poor on both counts.

A teacher says that IITians from the State can be divided into three groups. The first one constituting around 25 per cent are exceptionally good while the second group constituting about another 40 per cent work hard to overcome their inherent deficiencies. The problem is with the remaining 35 per cent who fail to rise up to the IIT standards.

“The pressure is on two counts – to perform according to their JEE rank status, and perform after adapting to a totally different academic style competing with the best minds from different parts of the country. Majority of our students lack that competitiveness,” says an IIT trainer. “Andhra Pradesh accounts for nearly 18 per cent of all successful IIT aspirants in the country, thanks to the aggression of the corporate colleges’ training but not quality preparation.”

“The IITs on their part offer total assistance to academically weak students, and it’s a manageable issue,” says U.B. Desai, Director, IIT Hyderabad. “But what they need is support from parents and friends back home, who generally have huge expectations. Unfortunately, there are few channels for the frustrated students to confide and seek solutions, and that leads to suicides,” says C. Veerender, a counsellor.

448 - Faculty forum wants outsider to be next director of IIT-K

Faculty forum wants outsider to be next director of IIT-K

TNN Aug 24, 2012, 05.28AM IST

KANPUR: The faculty forum of Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur had opposed to promote any teacher of the institution as the next director of IIT-K. A proposal in this regard was passed by the members of the forum. The teaching staff from other IITs should be given weightage for the post.
This proposal has been sent to chairman, board of governors, M Anandkrishnan for approval.

The members of the faculty forum want the level of research and education to go up further. If a teacher of IIT-Kanpur is elevated to the post of director, he would face the pressure of being junior or senior from fellow teachers. The faculty forum does not want this to happen. It wants an outsider to become next director of the institute.

Surprisingly, no one raised the issue of quality of research in the past ten years when the premier institute lost much of its sheen.

SG Dhande, who is presently the director of IIT-Kanpur, was earlier a teacher in the institute. He has been there for more than 10 years.

According to sources, Dhande had sour relations with several faculty members of the institute and because of that the teaching staff does not want him to get third term.

The second term of Dhande has been completed. He will continue till a new director is appointed or for a maximum period of three months. A meeting of faculty forum was held in the last week of July where a proposal was passed stating that Dhande should not be given the third term.

The forum members deliberated that an 'outsider' should be made the director. It was also deliberated that the teachers of IIT-K should also be included in selecting the director.

Indranil Mana is slated to be the new director of the institute but his name is yet to be approved by the President. After President Pranab Mukherjee's acceptance, Mana could become the next director.

In its edition of August 12, TOI had published a story regarding Mana.
IIT-K faculty forum convener CS Upadhyay said that a proposal regarding non-elevation of internal candidate (teaching staff of the institute) as the director had already been sent to the board of governors and HRD ministry.

When asked why an internal candidate should not be given chance, Upadhyay said, "If an internal candidate is exceptional, we have no objection to his elevation. Otherwise, outside candidates should be given weightage."

He expressed concern that the faculty members are being kept out of the selection process, which is not the right way. The applicant for the post of director should present his vision before the faculty members, he stressed.

"In order to bring more transparency in the selection process, the faculty members should be included in it as. Renowned institutes of the world like MIT and Cambridge University are doing that," Upadhyay added.

447 - JEE Advanced in 2013 will be Objective Test

Second chance for IIT-JEE aspirants

Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 23, 2012‎

Yash Mishra, 17, appeared for the Class 12 board exams this year, but plans to appear for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and other entrance exams next year. The JEE is the entry criterion to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). With 84% in his board ...

IIT hopefuls to be shortlisted from all categories

Times of India - ‎Aug 22, 2012‎

MUMBAI: Not all the 1.5 lakh students that will be shortlisted from the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) - Main to appear for the JEE - Advanced exam will be from the open category. The official notification released by the ministry of human resource development ...

IIT aspirants can take board exams again to better scores

Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 22, 2012‎

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) aspirants who took the Class 12 board exam this year can write them again next year to improve their scores to meet the entrance criteria for engineering institutes, according to a human resources development (HRD) ...

Where's the fun?

The Hindu - ‎Aug 22, 2012‎

HOLIDAYS: All fun and no work. Photo N. Rajesh. THE HINDU HOLIDAYS: All fun and no work. Photo N. Rajesh. When holidays didn't seem to be like one…. It was over. My Std. X examinations were over. After working hard for two months, I was finally ...

IIT entrance exam: JEE-Advanced paper to have only multiple-choice questions

Times of India - ‎Aug 21, 2012‎

MUMBAI: Putting to rest all confusion over admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the joint admission board (JAB) of IITs clarified that the format of the joint entrance examination. JEE-Advanced paper will be the same as that of IIT-JEE in the last ...

Old format for advanced JEE test in 2013

Daily News & Analysis - ‎Aug 21, 2012‎

The advanced Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for 2013 will follow the old format with multiple choice objective questions divided in two sessions. In a major relief to lakhs of students, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) on August 5 finalised the format for the ...

IIT-JEE entrance exam 2013: Advance paper to have only MCQs

Indian Colleges - ‎Aug 22, 2012‎

IIT-JEE entrance exam 2013: Advance paper to have only MCQs. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the joint admission board (JAB) have clarified that the format of the JEE-Advanced paper will be the same as that of IIT-JEE. JEE-Advanced exam will ...

Just 48 girls join IIT-M this year

The Asian Age - ‎Aug 22, 2012‎

Even as the Union government waived off fees for IIT-JEE application forms to woo more girl students to join IITs this year, the number of girls joining IIT-Madras in the B.Tech programme has touched rock bottom. Only 48 girls joined the prestigious institute ...

IITJEE 2013: JEE Advanced will be an objective test

careermitra.com (blog) - ‎Aug 22, 2012‎

The Joint Engineering Entrance Examination (JEE) will no longer be an exclusive test for IITs, with the proposed merger of AIEEE & IITJEE by MHRD & Joint Admission Board (JAB), the scores will now be used by all Centrally Funded Institutions, NITs & IIITs. 

446 - IIT aspirants won’t have to answer subjective questions - TNN

IIT aspirants won’t have to answer subjective questions

Yogita Rao, TNN Aug 22, 2012, 02.09AM IST

 MUMBAI: Putting to rest all confusion over admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the joint admission board (JAB) of IITs clarified that the format of the joint entrance examination (JEE)-Advanced paper will be the same as that of IIT-JEE in the last few years.

The ministry for human resource development (MHRD) issued its first ever notification on JEE-2013 for admissions to all centrally-funded technical institutes on August 14.

 JEE-Advanced, which will determine admissions to IITs for 2013, will be held on June 2. The JEE-Advanced paper will only have multiple-choice questions which the students will attempt in two sessions, morning and afternoon. This will come as a relief for aspirants who had been preparing in keeping with the old format which did not include subjective questions. Several IITs, including the one in Mumbai, were in favour of a subjective JEE.

The difficulty level of and the marks allotted to JEE-Advanced tests will be similar to that of previous JEEs.

"We have decided that the format of the test should remain the same as it is too late to introduce changes. However, the notification is just for 2013. The MHRD has also formed an apex board in order to have a smooth JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced this year and in future too," said a senior official from IIT-Bombay. Ashok Misra, the former director of the institute, is the honorary chairperson of the JAB.

The official, who attended the JAB meeting, added, "Machine-readable answersheets will also be retained. The rule allowing candidates to take home a copy of their answersheets will also be followed. While the format and everything else will remain the same in 2013, it can change in future."

According to the notification, top 1.5 lakh candidates, including all categories, from the JEE-Main exam will be eligible to appear for the JEE-Advanced. Students who qualify in the JEE-Advanced exam and fall in the top 20 percentile of the successful candidates in their respective board results will be eligible for admission to IITs.

If states want to admit any students on the basis of JEE scores, a separate state merit list will be given to them. Questions papers can be printed in regional language on demand. 

445 - 65% jump in higher education enrolment in 4 years: Kapil Sibal

65% jump in higher education enrolment in 4 years: Kapil Sibal

TNN Aug 21, 2012, 02.04AM IST

NEW DELHI: The number of students enrolling for higher education appears to have shot up dramatically. According to a recent survey done by the HRD ministry, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) for higher education has shot up from 12.4 to 20.2.

Disclosing this on Monday at a conference titled, EducatioNext, organized by The Times of India, HRD minister Kapil Sibal said that the figure for India had been hovering at around 12. However, according to the survey there it has surged in the last four years. The main focus of the conference, attended by academics and education experts, was "India-The Education Superpower of the Future".

"The results of the survey are tentative and not firm, but if validated, they are very encouraging. The ratio for developed countries is in the region of 35-40. The survey results show that we are getting there. If they hold, we can expect the ratio to go up to 30-35 by 2029," he said. GER is a measure of the percentage of the relevant age group that is enrolled.

The minister said that the difference in the GER is often the difference between developed and developing countries. "The gross turnover of ideas, generated by the university system, is the real wealth of nations - often more valuable than GDP," he said.

Sibal said higher enrolment in universities is throwing up its own set of challenges. "This large influx into higher education (beyond 10+2 level) would possibly require 800 more universities and 50,000 more colleges. How can the physical infrastructure be built so quickly? Yet there can't be any delay. Even a year's delay means the child is older by a year," he said. By 2030, the number of kids vying for university education will touch 400 million, the size of the population of USA, he said.

The situation requires out-of-the-box solutions, he said. "We have come up with a five-point action plan based on the advantages of new technology. You will hear much more about this in the coming days," he added, listing out the five measures (see graphic).

These measures seek to harness the internet and cloud-computing with low cost devices like tablets, including Akash, the Rs 1,500 tablet adopted by HRD ministry for free distribution (with 50% of the cost being borne by the education institution and the other 50% by the Centre), and mobile phones.

Sibal added that 2.5 lakh villages would be connected by fibre optics to build a powerful information highway. "The last-mile connectivity would be wireless-accessed by tablets and mobile phones. Not just courses, video uploads can create virtual workshops and labs as well as self-assessment procedures," he said.

Five Changes Coming

1. Low-cost devices such as tablets and mobile phones would play critical role in education in absence of physical infrastructure

2. Proliferation of cloud-computing. This will serve 4 regions which, in turn, will serve various colleges

3. Open education resources to be expanded by providing course content through IT highway. Communications network will be built

4. Hundreds of courses will be sent out online and make it possible for students to create own combination - e.g., mathematics and music

5. Communications infrastructure to create virtual world for students to work with machines on the net or carry out lab experiments

444 - I am pained by the high cut-offs for admission, says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - NDTV

I am pained by the high cut-offs for admission, says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Edited by Shamik Ghosh | Updated: August 19, 2012 08:34 IST    

Mumbai: Speaking at the golden jubilee convocation address at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay yesterday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that "his heart is pained" by the high cut-offs for college admissions.

"We are placing limits on opportunities for our youth," he said.

Dr Singh also said that India needs "national leaders" from the fields of science and engineering, and not just from "politics, sports and cinema."

The Prime Minister said that India still lags behind many other countries in terms of research and development, and there is also dearth of quality institutes of higher education.

"This is precisely why our government has taken initiative to expand the opportunities for higher and technical education in India," Dr Singh said.

He also stressed that the investments made in higher education must contribute directly to nation building. IITs face an immediate challenge of making their curriculum more relevant to the country's needs, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal said that IITs have been "Centres of Excellence", and India is proud of their contribution. However, he said, the IITs are facing a critical shortage of quality faculty, and most of the current faculty is ageing and nearing superannuation, which is affecting academic productivity.

The brand equity of IITs is due to the excellence of their undergraduate students, Mr Sibal said.

On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Convocation, degree of 'Doctor of Science - Honoris Causa' was conferred upon industrialist Azim Premji, who is the Chairman of Wipro Ltd.

"Never stop learning. Have confidence in yourself. Excellence is not an art but a habit. Never compromise on values," Mr Premji said.

A total of 2006 degrees, including 175 PhDs, were awarded.

(With inputs from PTI)

443 - Sibal hints at greater freedom for IITs - TNN

Sibal hints at greater freedom for IITs

For long, the centres of excellence have felt stifled by the government's reign. 

On Saturday, HRD minister Kapil Sibal hinted at greater financial autonomy for the IITs, a process he said was likely to allow the institutes to blossom. "It is only with respect to financial matters that the IITs are circumscribed by government rules, which limits to some extent their autonomous nature," said Sibal. "

We are cognizant of this handicap and are seeking to remedy it by giving the board of governors full powers with regard to faculty, financial and other matters. Needless to say, this autonomy will go hand in hand with accountability."

442 - Pessimism a result of revolution of rising expectations, says PM - TNN

Pessimism a result of revolution of rising expectations, says PM

TNN Aug 19, 2012, 06.44AM IST

MUMBAI: At a time when the nation is facing an economic slowdown, when its corporate czars are lambasting the government over a paralysis of its functioning and when corruption charges are flying fast and thick, the country's prime minister says the excessive pessimism and negativism stems from a "revolution of rising expectations" .

Speaking at the 50th annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay , Singh said, "Hopes are high, but often not realized." Recalling his humble beginning in the village of Gah, he said, "I studied in the light of a kerosene lamp in a dusty village that had no power, no school or college. There has been enormous improvement ... The progress that has been registered has often fallen short of the expectations of our people."

Stating that this is not a gloomy end, but a patch, he said the fundamentals of the Indian economy were still sound and with greater effort, it would be possible to go back to the pre-crisis growth rate of eight to nine per cent per annum . To the graduating class of 2012, he said, "I am confident about the future of India. Because you are the future."

The outturn of the 50th batch of IITB had 2,006 graduating students; a total of 180 PhD degrees were awarded, as compared to 179 last year, 55 medals were also awarded in various disciplines . An honorary doctorate degree was conferred on Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro. To his "fellow students" as Premji addressed them because he never stopped being a student, the tech titan goaded stduents to make mistakes and learn from them, to be experimental , innovative and bold, to have confidence , to earn as much as was needed, to make excellence a habit and contribute to society.

441 - Latest News dated 14th August 2012

Maharashtra to adopt Kapil Sibal's CET model from 2013: Minister

Times of India - ‎Aug 13, 2012‎

JALNA: Maharashtra will adopt the single common entrance test (CET) model for admissions to engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and National Institute of Technologies (NITs), from 2013, state technical education ...


Maha to adopt Sibal`s CET model from 2013: Min

Zee News - ‎Aug 13, 2012‎

Maha to adopt Sibal`s CET model from 2013: Min Jalna: Maharashtra will adopt the single common entrance test (CET) model for admissions to engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and National Institute of Technologies ...


Maharashtra Will Adopt Kapil Sibal's One Nation One Test

careermitra.com (blog) - ‎Aug 14, 2012‎

As a major boost to the upcoming common engineering entrance test, the Maharashtra government reportedly has given nod to the Kapil Sibal's one nation one test. Maharashtra government will give 50 per cent weightage to marks scored by students of both ...

440 - Maha to adopt Sibal's CET model from 2013: Min - ZEE News

Maha to adopt Sibal's CET model from 2013: Min

Jalna: Maharashtra will adopt the single common entrance test (CET) model for admissions to engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and National Institute of Technologies (NITs), from 2013, state technical education minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday. 

"A proposal in this regard has been prepared and will soon be presented to the state Cabinet for its approval," Tope told a press conference here. 

The new format suggested by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal for admission to all central government-funded engineering institutions - IITs, NITs, IIITs etc, proposes one common entrance test, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which will replace the old IIT-JEE and AIEEE. 

"Maharashtra government will give 50 percent weightage to marks scored by students of both English and non-English medium schools in their class XII exam", Tope said. 

The minister said that day and night classes have been started in the state polytechnic colleges for the students from minority communities. 

Tope said that the government will initiate measures to tackle the deficient rain condition in the district and ensure that agricultural power connection are not disconnected by the state utilities. 

PTI 

439 - News Dated 9th August 2012

Karna urges Centre to sanction IIT for state

IBNLive.com - ‎Aug 8, 2012‎

Karna urges Centre to sanction IIT for state. PTI | 10:08 PM,Aug 08,2012. Bangalore, Aug 8 (PTI): Karnataka has urged the Union government to sanction for setting up an Indian Institute of Techonology in the state at the earliest. Higher Education Minister C T ...

Minister Ravi seeks IIT for Karnataka

Deccan Herald - ‎Aug 8, 2012‎

Karnataka Higher Education Minister, C T Ravi on Wednesday met Union Human Resources Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, and requested him to sanction an Indian Institution of Technology to the State. During his meeting, Ravi said that the State ...

Karnataka urges Centre to sanction IIT

Jagran Post - ‎Aug 8, 2012‎

Previous · Next ». Karnataka urges Centre to sanction IIT Loading image. Please wait. Karnataka urges Centre to sanction IIT. Bangalore: The Karnataka government has urged the Centre to sanction an Indian Institute of Technology in the state at the earliest.

Karnataka urges Centre to sanction IIT for state

Press Trust of India - ‎Aug 8, 2012‎

STAFF WRITER 22:1 HRS IST. Bangalore, Aug 8 (PTI) The Karnataka government has urged the Centre to sanction an Indian Institute of Technology in the state at the earliest. Higher Education Minister C T Ravi in a letter to Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal ...

438 - Setting up of Educational Institutions - PIB NIC

Setting up of Educational Institutions

Education, being in the Concurrent List, creation of new institutions is the responsibility both of Central and State Governments. Central Government is creating new institutions, wherever required, depending on resources. Several programmes and schemes initiated by the Government have led to creation of fresh intake capacity in higher education. These include Scheme of Model Degree Colleges in 374 identified Educationally Backward Districts, 16 new Central Universities, 08 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 07 Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), 10 National Institute of Technology (NITs) etc. Consequent to passing of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, the Central Government has increased the intake capacity in all Central Educational Institutions (CEI) to an extent of 54%. The Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) in higher education has increased from 12.4% in 2007-08 to 15% in 2009-10. The Government aims to achieve a GER of 30% in higher education by 2020. This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. D. Purandeswari, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. VSB/GK (Release ID :85784)

437 - New format of exam to join IITs challenged in HC - TNN

New format of exam to join IITs challenged in HC

TNN Aug 8, 2012, 02.28AM IST

MUMBAI: The Forum for Fairness in Education, along with nine parents, has challenged in Bombay high court the new format of the competitive entrance exam to join engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technology. The new format, proposed by the HRD ministry, comprises one national competitive exam that is made of the JEE-main, followed by a JEE-advanced exam.

Terming the new process of selecting candidates "unfair", the petition stated that every student must be allowed to sit for both exams and the new format of the exam must not be implemented in 2013. In the new format, every student has to take the JEE-main exam and the advanced exam, to join the IITs can be taken only by the top 20% candidate

Stating that the decision to make only 20 percentile from each board eligible for the entrance test as "arbitrary, discriminative and unreasonable", the petitioners said marks and competitiveness across boards cannot be equated.

The petitioners stated that the process must be set aside and the upcoming exam in 2013 must follow the same pattern as the Joint Entrance Exam 2012. The petition states that denying a student the right to appear for the JEE Advanced exam would not constitute a fair and transparent common admission process. 

The petitioners said most students start preparing for competitive exams after class X and 2013 would be too early for students to adapt to the new format of the exam.

436 - Latest news Dated 7th Aug 2012

IIT joint board clears common entrance format

Hindu Business Line - ‎Aug 6, 2012‎

New Delhi, Aug. 6: The Joint Admission Board of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) approved the common entrance test for under-graduate courses, previously approved by the IIT Council, on Sunday. Under the new format, from 2013, students would be ...

IIT JAB nod for common entrance test for UG programme for 2013

Business Standard - ‎Aug 5, 2012‎

The Joint Admission Board (JAB) of the IITs, comprising heads of these prestigious institutes, today approved the common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme for 2013 based on percentile ranking at a crucial meeting here. The JAB ...


IIT Admission: 20 percentile plan gets nod

Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 5, 2012‎

Despite some important suggestions by various IITs, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of IITs that met on Sunday made no changes to its earlier resolution on the 20 percentile formula for 2013 eligibility. The resolution had been accepted by the IIT Council on ...


IT admission body sticks to only 20 percentile formula

Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 5, 2012‎

Despite some important suggestions by various IITs, the Joint Admission Board of IITs which met on Sunday is understood to have made no change to its earlier resolution on the 20 percentile formula for 2013 eligibility. The resolution had been accepted by ...

Anyone worried about what's wrong with our education?

Times of India - ‎Aug 4, 2012‎

Anyone worried about what's wrong with our education? TT Narendran Aug 5, 2012, 03.32AM IST. The debate on the IIT entrance examination refuses to die down. Some IITs claim that the standards will be diluted if the criteria are changed to consider school ...

A sustainable model for IITs

The Hindu - ‎Aug 4, 2012‎

The IITs can be given the freedom to determine their fees as do the IIMs, and the additional funds generated through higher fees can be used to build research infrastructure......To ensure that higher fees do not pose an undue burden on any student, a loan to ...

JAB opts for subjective type questions for Advanced test

Daily Pioneer - ‎Aug 6, 2012‎

Ending the uncertainty over the pattern of questions in the entrance examination for prestigious IITs, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) on Sunday decided for a Subjective Question type Advanced test. The shortlisted 1,50,000 candidates, who also come within ...

B-school Placement trends 2012

Indian Colleges - ‎Aug 3, 2012‎

B-school Placement trends 2012. Snapdeal.com is planning to hire IIT, IIM pass outs for its tech and engineering division ramps up hiring with IIT, IIM pass outs . Earlier this year, the e-tailer has hired 30 freshers from various IITs and IIMs across the country.

435 - A sustainable model for IITs DR. M. M. MAYURAM - The Hindu

A sustainable model for IITs

DR. M. M. MAYURAM

5th August 2012

The IITs can be given the freedom to determine their fees as do the IIMs, and the additional funds generated through higher fees can be used to build research infrastructure......To ensure that higher fees do not pose an undue burden on any student, a loan to cover the fees may automatically be sanctioned to each student.

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) occupy an important and special position in the country, playing a crucial part in the career aspirations of lakhs of students. At the same time, policymakers are grappling with two questions on their real contribution to the nation in order to justify providing funds for maintaining the premium nature of these institutes and source these funds. Since it is market dynamics that have created this rather ironic situation, I propose using the same market forces to address this issue.

Let’s first understand the market forces. The return on the investment for the parents, if not to the students, is the first market force that has created the enormous demand for the IITs. The brand value that almost guarantees admission with financial aid to a U.S. university for higher studies leading to a job, permanent residency and eventual citizenship or the near certainty of being placed with a higher than average salary on graduation is the primary market force that makes parents push their children into aspiring for entry into the IIT, often at as early an age as 15. The fact that most of these high paying jobs have nothing to do with engineering is neither discussed nor considered.

While assuring a higher return, the cost — fees at the IIT — is much lower than what is charged by the ubiquitous self-financing engineering colleges that do not assure students a career after graduation. Granted, parents do invest in one or more of the various coaching institutes without which none can get into the IITs nowadays, but even with that cost, the IITs make the best financial sense in terms of risk vs. reward.

This intense preparation to pass the entrance examination burns out quite a few of the successful students who have no interest in the education they are pursuing and have no incentive to excel in the studies since they are aware that the IIT brand will assure them a well-paying job if they just clear the examinations.

The second market force that leads to questions on the contribution or lack of it on the part of these bright students to national development is the skewed salary structure prevalent in today’s world where the marketers of cosmetics and financial analysts earn twice or thrice as much as an engineer gets even at the entry level. While these professions’ contribution to nation building may be debated, there is no question that education at a premium engineering institution deserves a better return in the form of its graduates exercising their intellect and education to address the numerous challenges facing the nation.

This, in turn, leads to the question of return on the money the nation spends on the IITs. Whether it is due to a lack of universal acceptance that investment in the IITs has yielded sufficient dividends or otherwise, the fact remains that the original five IITs have not seen increases in their funding in the last two decades commensurate with their requirement to replace their increasingly obsolete infrastructure. Whatever infrastructure development that has been funded in the recent past is mainly to cater for the increased student size that has been thrust upon the IITs to implement the social justice agenda. Both sets of the original five IITs and the newer nine ones require a large infusion of capital funds in order to renew or build infrastructure that will help them retain the premium nature of education in these institutions.

We can address all the three issues through a substantial increase in the fees paid by the undergraduate students. The IITs can be given the freedom to determine their fees as do the IIMs and the additional funds generated from higher fees can be used to build the research infrastructure. To ensure that these higher fees do not pose an undue burden on any student, a loan to cover the fees may automatically be sanctioned to each student. This loan will have no additional requirements such as collateral security, or the financial status of the parents, etc. This should not pose a problem since it’s recognised that an IIT graduate will not have any issues finding a job. Increasing the fees addresses two of the three issues raised — namely the extremely attractive return on investment that encourages parents to exert undue pressure on their children to enter the IIT and the issue of funds for the IITs. By devising a scheme to convert the loan into a grant based on the nature of employment taken up by the graduates, we can address the issue of their contribution to nation building as well.

We can categorise DRDO, CSIR laboratories and other national institutions, the IITs and the NITs as the priority sector, employment in which for a specified minimum period will convert the entire loan into a grant.

Organisations that are public-funded and commercial in nature but play a vital role in building national self-sustenance may be classified as core sector, employment in which for a specified period will convert 50% of the loan into a grant. The grant can be provided by the employer itself and its financial impact can be mitigated through suitable tax concessions. This will also be an avenue for the employers to discharge their corporate social responsibility.

Private sector organisations but involved in core engineering activities may be classified as the allied sector, employment in which for a specified period will convert 25% of the loan into a grant. Teaching in AICTE-approved engineering institutions may also be classified as the allied sector.

If the student opts to join organisations not belonging to these sectors, such as those in management consulting, banking and finance, and insurance, then he/she will need to repay the full loan at market rates within a reasonable period. Since salaries in these sectors are high, loan repayment should not be a major burden.

In case the graduate opts for higher education in India or abroad, a moratorium on repayment of the loan can be given and recovery may be initiated on completion of studies, depending on the nature of employment taken up.

The students can further be incentivised by linking the interest rate payable on the loan to their performance in the IIT. The rate of interest could be something like PLR-CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) on a 10-point scale. Thus, the top performers will be required to pay only an interest rate of 0-3%, while even average performance will attract a rate of 5-7%. For students coming from socially disadvantaged sections, further concessions or a total waiver could be given to account for the differences in their performance due to social conditions.

Thus creating this market force of higher fees with the necessary infrastructure around it to manage its adverse effects can ensure adequate and timely funding for the IITs without burdening the government. The higher cost may discourage those who are not interested in nation building from enjoying the benefits of government subsidy and hindering imparting quality education. The performance-linked interest rate may motivate students to perform and finally the repayment options may encourage them to work in sectors that badly need them.

At this critical juncture where India needs to create substantially more capacity and quality in the engineering education sector, the way China is doing, this model may prove worthwhile to follow for the IITs and extend to the NITs as well.

The model can lead to financial and operational freedom for these institutes so that they can compete with foreign universities that are to be allowed to set up colleges in India on an equal footing.

(The writer is Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras. The writer’s email is: mayuram@iitm.ac.in)

434 - IIT-Delhi okays common test based on percentile ranking - Indian Express

IIT-Delhi okays common test based on percentile ranking

New Delhi, Sat Aug 04 2012, 01:21 hrs

The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi on Friday joined the liked of IIT-Bombay and IIT-Kanpur by accepting the new format of the Common Entrance Test for admitting students to the undergraduate programme. The new format will come into effect from 2013 and in place of the Joint Entrance Exam currently followed.

The new format will be based on percentile ranking and will retain the existing eligibility condition for students who passed their board examination last year.

The IIT-Delhi senate, which met on Friday to discuss the IIT council decision of June 27, agreed to adopt the new format with certain modifications. It has recommended that a student “has to satisfy either being among the top 20 percentile or have scored a minimum of 60 per cent score in the board examination for admission.”

The meeting was called to examine IIT council’s decision of June 27 which adopted the common entrance test under a compromise formula for admission to undergraduate programme based on percentile ranking of students in their boards. IIT-Delhi and IIT-Kanpur had earlier rejected the common test under a proposed format, forcing the HRD Ministry to float a compromise formula which was adopted by the IIT council.

The senate also recommended that the syllabus of the main and the advance test under the new two-tier format should be identical.

Dean (Academics) in IIT-D Anurag Sharma said, “We have accepted the common entrance test under the format proposed by the IIT council for 2013, but with some riders.”

For 2014 and onwards, he said the senate has resolved to set up a committee to go into the entire gamut of the admission process and “study the experience of the exam in 2013” before making its recommendations.

  

433 - IIT Delhi Senate accepts JEE formula - The Hindu

IIT Delhi Senate accepts JEE formula

Aarti Dhar

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The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Friday suggested some modifications to the joint entrance examination (JEE) for admission to the undergraduate engineering courses by recommending the percentile based ranking for 2013, while retaining the existing eligibility condition for students who passed their board examination in 2012.

This was decided at the IIT Delhi Senate, which was convened to discuss the Joint IIT Council decision of June 27. The Senate adopted the format with some modification, recommending that a student should either be among the top 20 percentile of the State Board or have scored a minimum of 60 per cent score in Class XII for admission.

Importantly, the Senate said the syllabus of the main and the advance test, under the new two-tier format, should be identical to each other. For 2014 and onwards, the Senate resolved for setting up a committee to go into the entire gamut of the admission process and arrive at recommendations.

On June 27 the Council had adopted the common entrance test under a formula for admission to undergraduate programme based on percentile ranking of students in their boards.

IIT Delhi along with IIT Kanpur had earlier rejected the common test under a proposed format following which the Human Resource Development Ministry had come up with a new formula which was adopted by the IIT Council.

The IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur have accepted the new format while suggesting similar changes.

The IITs have said they would set up a separate committee that would recommend a fresh method for IIT entrance from 2014.

432 - News Dated 3rd August 2012

IIT Delhi Senate accepts JEE formula The Hindu - ‎Aug 3, 2012‎ The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Friday suggested some modifications to the joint entrance examination (JEE) for admission to the undergraduate engineering courses by recommending the percentile based ranking for 2013, while retaining the ... IIT-Delhi okays common test based on percentile ranking Indian Express - ‎Aug 3, 2012‎ The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi on Friday joined the liked of IIT-Bombay and IIT-Kanpur by accepting the new format of the Common Entrance Test for admitting students to the undergraduate programme. The new format will come into effect from 2013 ... They are not world beaters Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 3, 2012‎ The Indian Institutes of Technology and the Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) have been in the news recently over the Centre's proposal to replace the multiple engineering entrance tests with a common entrance test (CET). While it goes without saying ... IIT Delhi for flexibility in eligibility next year Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 3, 2012‎ More than a month after deciding to have a separate exam, the IIT Delhi on Friday broadly accepted the 20 percentile formula but suggested measures that would give more flexibility to eligibility in the 2013 exam. The senate of IIT Delhi has recommended that ... IIT-Delhi accepts common test based on percentile ranking NDTV - ‎Aug 3, 2012‎ New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi on Friday accepted the common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme for 2013 based on percentile ranking and retain the existing eligibility condition for students who passed ... IITs still not agreeing for the common entrance exam Economic Times - ‎Aug 2, 2012‎ NEW DELHI: Despite recent setbacks, the human resource development ministry is not ready to give up the idea of 'one nation, one test' but getting IITs on board is unlikely to be easy. The ministry is set to put in place a committee, which is likely to be headed ... HRD panel to draw up 10+2 science stream reforms Times of India - ‎Aug 2, 2012‎ NAGPUR: 'Change' seems to be operative word for the human resources development (HRD) ministry, and before September-end a committee will be constituted to look into possible reforms at the 10+2 level for the science stream. A highly placed source in ...

431 - Massive manpower crunch ails education system - TOI

Massive manpower crunch ails education system

TNN Aug 2, 2012, 04.35AM IST

NEW DELHI: The Indian education system — from school to higher education, including IITs and IIMs — is plagued by a massive manpower crunch.
The HRD ministry's presentation before the Parliament's Consultative Committee on Tuesday also highlights that in school education poor performance of big states is affecting the national picture.

In case of higher education, 42 Central universities with sanctioned faculty strength of 16,602 have 6,542 vacancies. Fifteen IITs have 1, 611 vacancies against the total strength of 5,092 faculty positions. Thirteen IIMs have to fill 111 vacancies out of 638 positions. Four Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) have almost 50% vacancy as 104 out of 224 teaching positions have not been filled. National Institutes of Technology (NITs) across 30 states have 1,487 vacant teaching positions out of the total faculty strength of 4,291. Even less than a decade-old Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research (IISER) with five branches has been afflicted with faculty crunch. Being developed as premier institutes for pure science, they have 131 vacancies out of the total strength of 518.

But it is the school education that is facing the real heat. Throughout the country there is a vacancy for 12.59 lakh teachers in primary and upper primary schools. Uttar Pradesh leads the way with 3.12 lakh vacancies against the sanctioned strength of 8.18 lakh. Bihar has not been able to fill 2.62 lakh teaching positions, whereas West Bengal has 1.8 lakh vacancies. For its size, Chhattisgarh has a staggering 62,466 vacancies. Madhya Pradesh has around 89,000 vacant teaching slots, Gujarat (11, 695), Karnataka (18, 253), Delhi (10, 074), Andhra Pradesh (15, 379) and Kerala (3,013).

The consultative committee dealt with the issue of proposed national mission on teachers and teaching. The committee was told about two specific proposals by UGC on teacher training. UGC had recommended setting up of regional centres of educational management in IIM-Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Bangalore and in the National University of Educational Planning and Administration. It had also said centres of excellence in science and mathematics education should come up in Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) for developing specialized cadre of academy of teaching and teacher educators.

430 - Sibal in third push for one engineering test - The Telegraph

Sibal in third push for one engineering test

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

New Delhi, Aug 1: The human resource development ministry has decided to set up yet another committee to study the one-nation-one-test proposal for aspiring engineers and suggest ways to get the IITs to agree to the format with some weightage to board marks.

The proposed panel, most likely to be headed by scientist C.N.R. Rao, would be the third of its kind to study the feasibility of a single entrance test since the idea was floated amid opposition from the premier tech schools.

Unlike the earlier committees, the new panel will include IIT faculty who have also been opposing the idea of giving weightage to Class XII marks because of the heterogeneity in assessment standards among school boards.

The IITs have agreed to follow a two-tier test — comprising the JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced — that will replace the IIT-JEE and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) from next year.

The JEE-Main, the first-round test of the new Joint Entrance Examination, will be mandatory for students aspiring for admission to any of the centrally funded technical institutions such as the IITs, NITs and IIITs.

The JEE-Advanced will be conducted entirely by the IITs, which would then draw up a merit list based on students’ performance in the test and provided they are among the top 20 percentile holders of their respective boards and categories (general or reserved).

A student’s percentile score is obtained by dividing the number of students below him or her with the number that appeared, and multiplying the ratio by 100.

The two-tier test, to be followed by the IITs, however, defeats the one-nation-one-test idea. So HRD minister Kapil Sibal, who has been advocating a single entrance exam in engineering, started exploring ways to get the IITs on board.

In 2010, the ministry set up a committee of IIT directors headed by IIT Kharagpur’s Damodar Acharya which suggested a common test modelled on the US-based Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and weightage to school board performance for admission to engineering and science courses.

For IITs, it suggested an add-on test after the common entrance.

The ministry then set up another committee, under science and technology secretary T. Ramasamy, which said there may be two tests — one main exam and the other an advanced test — with flexibility for institutions to select students through either the main test or both. But it suggested at least 40 per cent weightage to board marks while selecting students for admission.

Following the opposition of IIT faculty to the weightage to board marks and the one-tier entrance, the ministry felt it should include the faculty in the new committee to ensure that its recommendations would be accepted by the tech schools.

In June, Sibal held a meeting with some IIT Kanpur faculty members on this issue.

IIT Faculty Federation president K. Narasimhan said a single-entrance test might not serve the requirement of IITs. “It is good that the ministry is setting up a committee with IIT faculty members. This means there will be a thorough discussion and better analysis of the whole issue. But a single test cannot serve the requirement of the IITs. It can only be a filter,” he said.

“I do not think the IITs will agree to the idea of weightage to board marks also. The standard of syllabus, teaching and assessment procedure varies from board to board. These things have to be brought on a par,” he added.

Dheeraj Sanghi, who teaches at IIT Kanpur, said an advanced test like the IIT-JEE helps identify students who are “better”.

“In IIT-JEE, nearly 20,000 students out of the five lakh taking the test are able to score over 30 or 40 per cent. Large chunks of students score near zero. This … helps the IITs identify those students who are better,” Sanghi said.

Asked whether the IITs would agree to a one-tier common entrance if its standard was improved to the level of the IIT-JEE, Sanghi said such a test would not help lower-rung institutions. “If you make the common test a tough exam, then 70 per cent students will score close to zero. The engineering colleges in states will find it difficult to select students,” he said. “Besides, it will destroy the self-confidence of lakhs of students.”

429 - HRD Ministry in huddle after Plan panel nixes new universities Urmi Goswami, ET Bureau

HRD Ministry in huddle after Plan panel nixes new universities

Urmi Goswami, ET Bureau Jul 31, 2012, 02.57AM IST

NEW DELHI: The Planning Commission's decision against setting up new colleges and universities in the Twelfth Plan period except under "exceptional circumstances" has scurried HRD ministry back to the drawing board.

The immediate casualties of this decision are a central university in Uttar Pradesh, and in Maharashtra (Amravati), an IIT in Palakkad and another centrally-funded technical institute in Kerala. The Plan panel's argument is that the ministry should focus on "consolidation and not expansion" in the Twelfth Plan period as there is already a "huge liability" from the proactive expansion in the Eleventh Plan period.

The Eleventh Plan had envisaged large scale expansion of the higher education sector-30 central universities, eight IITs, eight IIMs, ten National institutes of Technology, 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology, three Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, 74 degree colleges in backward areas.

Sources in the Planning Commission stressed that the ministry needs to think through its proposals for setting up new central institutions. "There is a serious resource crunch, the fact is that there are no funds for new institutions.

The focus should be on implementing the massive expansion plan that the government committed itself for the Eleventh Plan. Consolidation should be the mantra of the Twelfth Plan. New institutions can be considered under exceptional circumstances," a senior official said.

The ministry is now working out criteria that would define "exceptional circumstances". Once it does so, it will re-submit the four proposals. For the time being, the "exceptional circumstances" criteria appears to be a convenient way of putting proposals on the back burner.

However, unwritten factors like pressure, or political contingency would clearly be explained away as "exceptional circumstances". The recent decision to set up two central universities in Bihar clearly falls into this rubric-provision had been made for only one university in the plan.

Even as the Plan panel has left the door open for such contingencies, it is clear that the old system of setting up new institutes without actually building up the older ones will not be acceptable. "Existing ideas have to implemented, and these should not suffer from shortage of funds. It would make more sense to focus on quality and expand where and when it is really required," an official said.

The plan panel's stance is in line with its approach to the Twelfth Plan-"there must be a strategic shift from mere expansion to improvement in quality higher education. For this, the focus should be not only on larger enrollment, but also on the quality of the expansion."

428 - Sibal now wants One Nation One test- Latest news dated 30th July 2012

Full coverage

IIT faculty would be increasingly involved in common test

IBNLive.com - ‎Jul 30, 2012‎

PTI | 09:07 PM,Jul 30,2012 decision-making New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) IIT faculty would be increasingly involved in key decision-making process on the matter of common tests to ensure broader consensus at different levels, HRD Ministry sources today said.

IIT-JEE 2013: Sibal now wants 'one nation, one test'

Indian Colleges - ‎11 hours ago‎

Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal has suggested that there should be “one nation, one test” system for all the fields in a phased manner. Sibal is setting up another panel which will be headed by the Prime Minister's scientific ...

Poll Report: 65% Doesn't Like The Idea Of Including Board Exam Marks For IIT ...

careermitra.com (blog) - ‎Jul 31, 2012‎

According to our recently concluded poll on “New IIT Selection Process”; 65% users are against the idea of considering board exam marks for selection process at IITs. The poll question asked on careermitra.com was “Should board exam marks be given ...

Panel to decide on two-tier or single IIT test format

Daily Pioneer - ‎Jul 31, 2012‎

With the new formula of entrance test for IITs embroiled in controversy, the HRD Ministry and the premier engineering institutes have now woken up to the need for a broad-based study taking into account all issues related to the 2014 examination.

IIT-JEE 2013: IIT faculty to be more involved in key decisions Indian Colleges - ‎Jul 30, 2012‎ IIT faculty will now be increasingly involved in key decision-making process on the matter of common tests to ensure broader consensus at different levels according to the HRD Ministry. The decision to involve IIT in the key decision-making has been ... Sibal now wants 'one nation, one test' for all disciplines Rediff - ‎Jul 30, 2012‎ Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal [ Images ] is fast emerging as a crusader for "one nation, one test" system. After stirring a hornet's nest with his proposal to have just one test for admissions to engineering schools across India ... Govt back to 'one nation, one test' idea Chandigarh Tribune - ‎Jul 29, 2012‎ The government is in the process of setting up a new committee to look afresh at the modalities of the “one nation one test” idea and recommend ways to implement it across disciplines in a phased manner. Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to ...