Tribune :: 12 April 2012
IITs veto common entrance for engineering colleges
Say new test being thrust upon it, want more time for discussion
Aditi Tondon | Tribune News Service | New Delhi | April 11, 2012
The Proposed Test
§ The common engineering test will give weightage to Class XII exams in admission to colleges
§ It says school board weightage can't be less than 40% and can go up to 100%. Weightages not exceeding 60% would be given to the performance of students in two components of the engineering test - Main and Advance
§ This would end the IIT monopoly over JEE and spell doom for the coaching industry that often hires top IIT faculty
§ The IIT Council and NIT Council had in-principle approved the single test. By law, the IIT Council's decision is final and binding
The proposal to introduce a common all-India engineering test for entry to all Centrally-Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) from 2013 today suffered a setback with the IIT faculty vetoing the move and insisting that any changes to the examination system be put on hold till proper discussions were held.
At a meeting convened by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal today to iron out differences with the IIT faculty over the proposed exam that seeks to give weightage to school boards at the time of entry to technical institutes, the All India IIT Faculty Federation let its reservations known.
In a resolution submitted at the meeting, the Federation said, “We note with grave concern that a new test for admission to IITs is being thrust upon us without allowing enough time for discussions and critical review and acceptance in the IIT Senates. Implementation of any changes in the existing entrance tests should be kept on hold until the above reports are obtained, consolidated and finally accepted by the Senates.”
IIT Faculty Federation representatives said they had submitted a resolution to Sibal, who said he would consider the demands. The resistance to the test is mainly learnt to be from the IITs of Kanpur, Bombay and Delhi. The faculty feels they have not been engaged enough in the process.
Earlier today, Sibal met the directors of seven old IITs to discuss the test and IIT Senates’ concerns over it. Sources said directors discussed the challenges of normalising marks awarded by different state boards in school leaving exams.
“The concern was that some boards award marks more generously than others. Some directors voiced concerns about rampant cheating in certain boards,” HRD Ministry sources said.
The IIT faculty’s reservation to single test is well known, but today was the first formal attempt by Sibal to get them on board. On February 22, Sibal had announced a go-ahead for the single test for entry to IITs and National Institutes of Technology from 2013 after meeting state education ministers.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120412/nation.htm#1
IITs veto common entrance for engineering colleges
Say new test being thrust upon it, want more time for discussion
Aditi Tondon | Tribune News Service | New Delhi | April 11, 2012
The Proposed Test
§ The common engineering test will give weightage to Class XII exams in admission to colleges
§ It says school board weightage can't be less than 40% and can go up to 100%. Weightages not exceeding 60% would be given to the performance of students in two components of the engineering test - Main and Advance
§ This would end the IIT monopoly over JEE and spell doom for the coaching industry that often hires top IIT faculty
§ The IIT Council and NIT Council had in-principle approved the single test. By law, the IIT Council's decision is final and binding
The proposal to introduce a common all-India engineering test for entry to all Centrally-Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) from 2013 today suffered a setback with the IIT faculty vetoing the move and insisting that any changes to the examination system be put on hold till proper discussions were held.
At a meeting convened by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal today to iron out differences with the IIT faculty over the proposed exam that seeks to give weightage to school boards at the time of entry to technical institutes, the All India IIT Faculty Federation let its reservations known.
In a resolution submitted at the meeting, the Federation said, “We note with grave concern that a new test for admission to IITs is being thrust upon us without allowing enough time for discussions and critical review and acceptance in the IIT Senates. Implementation of any changes in the existing entrance tests should be kept on hold until the above reports are obtained, consolidated and finally accepted by the Senates.”
IIT Faculty Federation representatives said they had submitted a resolution to Sibal, who said he would consider the demands. The resistance to the test is mainly learnt to be from the IITs of Kanpur, Bombay and Delhi. The faculty feels they have not been engaged enough in the process.
Earlier today, Sibal met the directors of seven old IITs to discuss the test and IIT Senates’ concerns over it. Sources said directors discussed the challenges of normalising marks awarded by different state boards in school leaving exams.
“The concern was that some boards award marks more generously than others. Some directors voiced concerns about rampant cheating in certain boards,” HRD Ministry sources said.
The IIT faculty’s reservation to single test is well known, but today was the first formal attempt by Sibal to get them on board. On February 22, Sibal had announced a go-ahead for the single test for entry to IITs and National Institutes of Technology from 2013 after meeting state education ministers.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120412/nation.htm#1
