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Published: Saturday, Jun 23, 2012, 20:41 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
Ahead of next week's meeting called by the government on the single entrance exam row, Indian Institute of technology (IIT) directors on Saturday discussed a compromise formula which includes a proposal to take top 20-30 students based on percentile ranking of respective boards for preparing the merit list.
Indications are that the percentile criterion replacing the proposed format of giving weightage to board results were deliberated at the Joint Admission Board (JAB) meeting, comprising IIT directors, as an alternative, possibly drawing a near unanimity.
The proposal is believed to have been mooted by the HRD Ministry and floated among the directors to end the impasse.
The percentile criterion along with performance in the JEE-Main will be used for selecting around 50,000 students and their score at the advanced test conducted by IITs will be taken into account to prepare the merit list for admission to IITs.
IIT senates are expected to deliberate on this after its approval at the IIT council meet.
The JAB has been conducting the IIT entrance test for 50 years. The meeting also evaluated the conduct of IIT-JEE 2012.
Insiders also suggested that some directors were averse to discussing the proposed test at the JAB and insisted that issue be deliberated only at the special IIT council meet.
The IIT council, the highest decision-making body headed by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal includes Directors of all the 16 IITs, heads of educational bodies like UGC and AICTE among others.
On the other hand, the IIT faculty federation, in a statement, appreciated the council meeting called by Sibal and hoped for an amicable solution to emerge.
"We appreciate that the minister has called IIT Council meeting on June 27, 2012 to address the concerns of IIT community. Through this process of discussion and engagement, we are confident that an amicable solution will emerge that would be acceptable to all, without compromising on the IITs autonomy."
The JAB meeting today came in the backdrop of IIT Delhi and Kanpur rejecting the government proposal and deciding to have a separate exam. There are indications that IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur may follow their Delhi and Kanpur counterparts.
The IIT Council on June 23 will discuss the situation created by the divisions among the elite educational institutions by the government proposal and the future course of action to end uncertainty among the student community.
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Showing posts with label 02 - ALL INDIA IIT FACULTY FEDERATION.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 02 - ALL INDIA IIT FACULTY FEDERATION.. Show all posts
Sunday, June 24, 2012
365 - IIT directors discuss compromise formula
Saturday, June 23, 2012
362 - CET row: HRD Ministry to meet IIT Council - Newswala
New Delhi, June 22 (IBNS): The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has called a special meeting of Indian Institute of Technologies (IIT) Council on combined entrance test (CET) on June 27.
"The uncertainty faced by the student community, consequent to the resolutions of the senates of IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi, requires to be addressed. Consequently, a special meeting of the IIT Council is being convened on 27.6.2012," read a ministry statement on Friday.
Earlier Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said the government has no intentions to 'impact' on the autonomy of the IITs.
Sibal faced tremendous criticisms and oppositions from the IIT Kanpur and others after he announced the decision to conduct combined entrance test for IITs with other premier engineering institutes.
IIT Kanpur has said it will conduct its own entrance test from 2013, rejecting a proposal by Sibal to unify such tests across India.
Earlier, IIT Faculty Federation, with the support of the powerful Alumni Association, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly opposing the move.
The IIT Alumni Association also reportedly said it is contemplating taking the minister to court for allegedly violating the principles of the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961.
IIT Faculty Federation secretary A.K. Mittal, in the letter to the PM had said, "We feel cheated. Despite promising us that no steps will be taken if there is any dissent, the HRD minister has gone ahead with his plans."
2012-06-22
Thursday, June 21, 2012
344 - HRD plans new formula to win over IITs - Financial Express
ANUBHUTI VISHNOI
Posted: Thursday, Jun 21, 2012 at 0013 hrs IST
New Delhi: Even as Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said the government would not reverse the IIT Council decision on a new JEE format with weightage on school board scores, sources said that an olive branch had been informally extended to all IIT senates and faculty federations suggesting that their demands may be agreed upon.
It is learnt that a new formula has been proposed wherein the top 20 percentile holders in Class XII boards would be eligible to take the JEE Advanced for admission to IITs.
IIT senates have been insistent that school board scores be only used as a cut-off for determining eligibility for an IIT test.
An urgent meeting of the IIT Joint Admission Board has been called on Saturday at IIT-Delhi to find a compromise formula to resolve the stand-off between IITs and the ministry on the issue. While the ministry is directly not holding discussions with IIT faculty, ‘feelers’ have been sent out through directors of all IITs, sources said.
Meanwhile, faculty forums of IIT-Bombay, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Delhi have begun meeting to deliberate on the compromise offer. Directors of various IITs are discussing the proposal with faculty to broker peace.
Sources within IIT senates confirmed that feelers had been sent out to them, but at the same time said that they were not particularly enthused as no written formula has come from the ministry so far.
“There is no written proposal from the ministry, the directors or the JAB. We have been told that the ministry is willing to agree to all our demands, including the class XII board scores weightage issue. However, the ministry is at the same time making statements that it will not roll back the IIT Council decision. The ministry is talking in multiple voices, so we are not very excited by this turnaround. The top 20 percentile formula is definitely welcome, but we would prefer to deliberate on cut-off issue after studying the JEE scores,” said a faculty member at IIT-Kanpur.
Senate members of other IITs said they would be willing to go forward with the new exam pattern in 2013 with the 20 percentile formula, provided the ministry issues a clear statement with details of syllabus, structure and percentile aspects. They point out that the new formula would require tweaking of the proposed admission format for other Centrally-funded technical institutes such as the NITs.
The ministry has written to IIT-Delhi, which is currently handling the JAB position to call a meeting and define the “nature, modalities and timing” of the JEE Advanced exam.
Members of the All India IIT Faculty Federation met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week and raised three demands — that no change should be effected in JEE 2013 and the present system should continue, that Senates of IITs be allowed to take decision on admission in IITs to ensure the academic autonomy of the IITs, and consideration of board marks from 2014 to be worked out over a period of time after analysing the board data and results from the dry run.
343 - New Sibal plan to make entry into IITs tougher - Hindustan Times
Charu Sudan Kasturi, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, June 21, 2012
A compromise formula aimed at breaking the deadlock between teachers and HRD minister Kapil Sibal over admissions to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) could end up hurting hundreds of thousands of aspiring students.
Under the new formula, only the top 20% students in their respective class 12 board exams would be eligible for appearing in the IIT entrance exam, top government and IIT sources told HT.
The compromise was brokered by the Prime Minister, who met members of the protesting All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIFF) last week and asked Sibal to consider their demands.
Sibal had wanted an admission system where the board exam percentile was given weightage along with scores in a screening test while selecting candidates for a second, advanced entrance exam. This process allowed students who scored relatively lower in the boards to make up for it by doing better in the screening test.
But faced with persistent opposition from IIT faculty federations on weightage to board scores, Sibal has asked IIT-Delhi director RK Shevgaonkar to seek the opinion of faculty across the IITs on the compromise plan.
The new proposal, to be discussed by the IIT senates and faculty associations this week, places students in the top 20 percentile of board scores on an equal footing in the selection process.
This would negate Sibal’s intention of encouraging students to focus on their board exams, but rob 80% students of even a chance of trying for the IITs.
Since the class 12 results are unlikely to be declared in time for the two-tier IIT test, all students would need to appear for the exams even if their board marks turn them ineligible later.
340 - PM push breaks IIT-Sibal deadlock - Hindustan Times
Charu Sudan Kasturi, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, June 20, 2012
In an attempt to broker a compromise, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has intervened in a row between IIT faculty members and the human resource development (HRD) ministry over admissions to the premier institutions.
However, while the compromise proposed by the HRD ministry after the PM's intervention may represent a victory for protesting faculty members, it will — if accepted — dramatically alter the conditions of eligibility for admission to IITs.
Singh met members of the All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIFF) last Friday, and assured them that the autonomy of the IITs would not be hurt by the government. He asked Sibal to consider the faculty federation's demands, sources said.
Sibal had initiated reforms in the IIT-JEE with the intention of slashing the number of exams that students need to take, reducing the influence of coaching classes, and making school education more relevant. His proposals were based on concerns that students were ignoring their studies to attend coaching classes.
Based on the recommendations of committees set up by Sibal, the IIT Council decided to give 40% weightage to the board examination percentile, and 30% weightage to each of the two tests (basic and advanced) for IIT selection.
But after the IIT faculty opposed employing board scores for the final selection, it agreed to use them only to shortlist students for the second test — which the institutes would conduct.
When the faculty continued to object, the government asked the IITs to consider a new proposal wherein all students in the top 20 percentile of their respective boards would stand on an equal footing. The others, however, would have to give up their IIT dreams.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
332 - Common entrance test: HRD ministry to write to joint admission IIT boards - TOI
PTI | Jun 20, 2012, 09.39AM IST
NEW DELHI: Unfazed by the resistance from the IIT faculty as well as the alumni, government would soon write to the joint admission board of the IITs to prepare the modalities for conducting the proposed common entrance test for admission to engineering programmes under the new format.
Sources said HRD ministry would be asking the joint admission boards to finalise modalities of the advance exam, one of the component of the two-tier test which would be implemented from 2013 onwards.
The development comes as Council of Boards of School Education is also expected to meet later this month to discuss issues related to coordination among different boards on matters such as holding the plus-two board examinations on time and time-bound declaration of results.
The new system of entrance test would take the board results into consideration for preparing the merit list.
IIT faculty and the alumni have been opposing the move tooth and nail, demanding that the new system should not be implemented before 2014.
They contend that the proposed common entrance test would undermine the autonomy enjoyed by the IITs and dilute the IIT brand.
Indications are that IIT Delhi senate, which is expected to meet on June 21, would also follow on the lines of IIT Kanpur. The latter has decided to hold its own entrance test following its rejection of the new system.
The faculty federation has already met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voicing their opposition to the test, stating that they have been assured by him that autonomy of IITs will be maintained.
331 - Government to roll out new look Joint Entrance Examination by 2013 - ECONOMIC TIMES
20 JUN, 2012, 06.17AM IST, URMI GOSWAMI,ET BUREAU
NEW DELHI: Protests by the IIT faculty, and at least one IIT Senate, against the new common entrance examination system notwithstanding, the government is going ahead with preparations to roll out the new look Joint Entrance Examination by 2013.
The human resource development ministry is writing to the Joint Admission Board, which is currently headed by IIT Delhi, to begin the consultation process to decide on the "nature, modalities, and timing" of the JEE-Advanced examination.
The JEE-Advanced is the second part of the two-step common admission test that was agreed to by the IIT Council at the May 28 meeting. Performance in the JEE-Advanced test will be the only criteria, which will be considered for admission to the IITs. As agreed by the IIT Council, performance in the class XII Board examination and JEE-Main will be used like a screening process to shortlist candidates.
The ministry is asking the Joint Admission Board to work out whether they want the test to be an objective or subjective test, the level of control the IIT system wants to retain over administering the test and the level of administrative support required from the CBSE. The Board will also decide on the timing of the test, whether it should be on the same day as the JEE-Main or not. The IITs would like the two exams -JEE Main and Advanced-to be held on separate days.
As far as the ministry is concerned the May 28 decision of joint meeting of the IIT, NIT and IIIT Councils is final, and asking the Board to being work on the examination is the logical next step. The groups to deal with academic issues, and interface have already been set up. Sources said that there hasn't been any communication from the Prime Minister's Office on the new system. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured the IIT Faculty Federation that he would speak with the human resource development minister Kapil Sibal about the objections and concerns raised by them.
329 - HRD to tell board to begin work on new JEE format - INDIAN EXPRESS
Anubhuti Vishnoi : New Delhi, Wed Jun 20 2012, 00:34 hrs
Unfazed by the opposition mounting against the new JEE format in the IIT community, the Human Resource Development Ministry has begun moving to take the proposed common entrance exam forward.
Kapil Sibal’s ministry will write to the IIT Joint Admission Board (JAB) to prepare for the JEE Advanced Test and start working out the finer points related to it, highly placed sources told The Indian Express. JEE Advanced is the exam under the proposed new common entrance format that will determine the final merit list for IIT admissions.
Since IIT Delhi is currently handling the JAB position, the ministry will send a communication, asking them to define the “nature, modalities and timing” of the exam. The ministry is of the opinion that it must be left to the IITs to decide whether they want a subjective/objective JEE Advanced, the nature of questions to be put, when and how often the exam should be conducted, whether or not they would like collaboration with CBSE for administrative assistance or even whether they would like to engage a testing agency to conduct the exam.
The ministry has already set up groups/committees to handle academic, administrative and test delivery aspects among other areas related to holding the common entrance exam.
Sibal, who chairs the IIT Council, had announced on May 28 that starting 2013, a new common entrance exam format for admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutes would come into effect. According to this format, Class XII board marks will be factored in for determining eligibility of a student aspiring for admission to an IIT.
The new JEE will have two components — JEE Main (for screening) and JEE Advanced (for the final IIT merit list) — with 50 per cent weightage to Class XII scores at the screening stage.
The proposal is being opposed by the IIT Senates and alumni. IIT Kanpur Senate has gone as far as to pass a resolution saying that they would boycott the 2013 common entrance exam and instead hold their own JEE.
Members of the All India IIT Faculty Federation also met the Prime Minister last week on the issue and were assured that the autonomy of IITs would not be compromised. The federation raised three specific demands as well — that no change should be effected in JEE 2013 and the present system should continue, that Senates of IITs be allowed to take decision on admission in IITs to ensure the academic autonomy of the IITs and consideration of board marks from 2014 to be worked out over a period of time after analysing the board data and results from the dry run.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
323 -CET row: Govt mulls new formula - ZEE News
CET row: Govt mulls new formula
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 12:42
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In view of stiff opposition to the proposed Common Entrance Test for admission in IITs and other centrally-funded technical institutes, the government is mulling a new formula to end the controversy.
Reports on Tuesday claimed that among the measures being considered, the government is mulling to allow screening based on class tenth results. Besides, the IITs and other centrally-funded technical institutes may also be allowed to conduct their own advance examination.
The development comes nearly a week after the IIT faculty federation, opposed to the proposed CET, met senior PMO officials and later the Prime Minister seeking a roll back of the decision.
The All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on May 31 saying that "each IIT is an individual and independent academic entity and should reserve its right to follow its own norms with regards to admissions and other academic matter".
The government had on May 28 announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of Common Entrance Test, which will also take the plus-two board results into consideration.
Sibal had claimed that it was approved without dissent at a council consisting of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs. IIT Kanpur faculty opposed the council's decision of adopting the new test format
The federation insisted that board performance should be used as
cut-off only instead of giving weightage to it after the process of
normalisation as has been proposed under the new format.
The federation also contested the two-tier format for the common test, (appearing in both main and advance test)stating that only the main be used for all institutes except the IITs to select students.
It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
New Delhi: In view of stiff opposition to the proposed Common Entrance Test for admission in IITs and other centrally-funded technical institutes, the government is mulling a new formula to end the controversy.
Reports on Tuesday claimed that among the measures being considered, the government is mulling to allow screening based on class tenth results. Besides, the IITs and other centrally-funded technical institutes may also be allowed to conduct their own advance examination.
The development comes nearly a week after the IIT faculty federation, opposed to the proposed CET, met senior PMO officials and later the Prime Minister seeking a roll back of the decision.
The All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on May 31 saying that "each IIT is an individual and independent academic entity and should reserve its right to follow its own norms with regards to admissions and other academic matter".
The government had on May 28 announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of Common Entrance Test, which will also take the plus-two board results into consideration.
Sibal had claimed that it was approved without dissent at a council consisting of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs. IIT Kanpur faculty opposed the council's decision of adopting the new test format
| Later in a statement, the AIIITFF demanded that since the new common
entrance test was decided upon without proper consultation process, each
IIT should now be given choices of accepting the proposed test as it
is, accept it with specific conditions or riders or reject the proposed
test and have own admission processes. It reiterated that the any changes should be only from 2014 or later and the current test pattern such as JEE, AIEEE, other state entrance test should continue at least for the year 2013. |
The federation also contested the two-tier format for the common test, (appearing in both main and advance test)stating that only the main be used for all institutes except the IITs to select students.
It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
322 - IIT entrance exam row: Breakthrough soon? Reported by Um-e-Kulsoom, Written by Abhinav Bhatt -NDTV
IIT entrance exam row: Breakthrough soon?
Reported by Um-e-Kulsoom,
Written by Abhinav
Bhatt | Updated: June 19, 2012 02:42 IST
New Delhi: After an acrimonious fight between the Human Resource
Development (HRD) ministry and the Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs) over the new 'one nation, one test' entrance format for all
centrally-funded engineering colleges, there are indications of a
breakthrough.
Sources have told NDTV, that the IITs will conduct the advance test separately and it will not be held on the day of the main entrance test. Another crucial point that the IITs have been against is the inclusion of Class XII marks for the advance test. Sources say that Class XII marks will not be considered.
The softening of stance by the HRD ministry, headed by Kapil Sibal, comes after the All India Faculty Federation (AIFF) of the IITs met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the issue on Friday. Dr Singh had assured the IITs that the autonomy of the institution will be upheld.
Sources have told NDTV, that the IITs will conduct the advance test separately and it will not be held on the day of the main entrance test. Another crucial point that the IITs have been against is the inclusion of Class XII marks for the advance test. Sources say that Class XII marks will not be considered.
The softening of stance by the HRD ministry, headed by Kapil Sibal, comes after the All India Faculty Federation (AIFF) of the IITs met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the issue on Friday. Dr Singh had assured the IITs that the autonomy of the institution will be upheld.
On May 28, the HRD Ministry had announced a new format for all
centrally-funded engineering colleges, including the 15 IITs and all the
National Institutes of Technology (NITs). As per the proposal, equal
weightage will to be given to marks obtained in the Class XII
examinations and those of the entrance tests. Engineering colleges will
use a 40:30:30 formula - with Class XII board results counting for 40
per cent, and the two stages of the entrance exam counting for 30 per
cent each. The new entrance format meant to kick in from 2013, also
combined both the main test and the advance test to a single day.
Mr Sibal had said that the common entrance exam for engineering colleges was aimed at reducing the pressure on students who finish Class XII and then have to take multiple exams for different engineering colleges.
Mr Sibal's 'one nation, one test' proposal has been opposed by various bodies of the IITs. IIT Kanpur has already announced that it will conduct its own entrance test from next year. The IIT Delhi senate, which is due to meet on June 21, is likely to follow suit.
The HRD minister, on his part, has said the decision comes after two years of deliberations with the IITs and is a unanimous one. He, however, has also said that he is "ready to talk if anyone says that the IITs' autonomy is being jeopardised."
Every year, over five lakh students take the entrance exam for IITs - there are 10,000 seats available, including quota seats.
Mr Sibal had said that the common entrance exam for engineering colleges was aimed at reducing the pressure on students who finish Class XII and then have to take multiple exams for different engineering colleges.
Mr Sibal's 'one nation, one test' proposal has been opposed by various bodies of the IITs. IIT Kanpur has already announced that it will conduct its own entrance test from next year. The IIT Delhi senate, which is due to meet on June 21, is likely to follow suit.
The HRD minister, on his part, has said the decision comes after two years of deliberations with the IITs and is a unanimous one. He, however, has also said that he is "ready to talk if anyone says that the IITs' autonomy is being jeopardised."
Every year, over five lakh students take the entrance exam for IITs - there are 10,000 seats available, including quota seats.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
314 - One nation, One test - DEccan Herald
Prakash Kumar, June 16, 2012
Common Entrance Test: Some IITs refuse to come under the ambit of CET saying it is flawed
With the vision of relieving aspiring engineers from the burden of writing multiple admission tests, the government recently decided to conduct a joint entrance examination for entry into all centrally-funded engineering colleges, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), from 2013.
The Human Resource Development Ministry planned to launch the new common entrance test, unanimously approved by the apex IIT Council, National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology, at a joint meeting held in the national capital on May 28.
But, the implementation of the proposed test, which seeks to merge IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination for admission to IITs) and AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination), has encountered a major roadblock as a section of the faculty, students and alumni of the IITs are up in arms against the examination format, citing several lacunae.
The joint entrance examination proposal has its genesis in the ‘in-principle’ approval accorded to it by the Council of IITs in its meeting held on September 14 last year.
This was based on the T Ramasami Committee report, which recommended a common national examination with weightage to marks obtained in the state board exams, and normalised on the basis of percentile formula developed by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Though many IIT faculty members and alumni did not favour a common test, an opinion poll on the Ramasami report, conducted through the Central Government’s portal last year, saw 85 per cent of the participants favouring the reforms in the current entrance test system, while 73 per cent supported holding a national test like the scholastic aptitude test conducted in the United States.
IIT faculty came up with differing views on the proposed normalisation of the Board marks through percentile formula, weightage to be given to the Board examination, eligibility criteria, methodology of selection and the year of introduction of the proposed test.
A faculty member of IIT-Kanpur contended that the one nation one test would put rural children at a disadvantage as it was bound to have elements of the existing JEE that tests conceptual rigour. Rural students are not exposed to the kind of rigour needed to understand fundamental principles in any domain. However, a majority of the respondents (66 per cent), who participated in the opinion poll, had favoured giving weightage to overall and consistent performance in examinations of school boards.
All the states had consented to the proposed common test, and many, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, expressed their eagerness to adopt it in the technical institutions coming under their jurisdiction.
Even as the government was giving a final shape to the proposed reforms in February this year, the Senates of the various IITs reviewed the proposal between April 25 and May 5.
Of the seven old IITs, the Senates of IIT Guwahati, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee supported the proposed joint entrance examination. IIT Bombay proposed to retain the present system “with minor modifications”, while IIT Kanpur’s Senate wanted “substantial modification”, an HRD Ministry official told Deccan Herald.
The views of the IIT Senates were placed before the IIT Council held on May 12, and again at the joint meeting of the Council with NITs and IIITs on May 28.
The Council in its May 12 meeting observed: “By and large, the middle ground of opinions expressed by IIT Senates recommend that the Class XII Board results along with the National Test (Mains) be considered as screening or gating with the National Test (Advanced level) being solely used for ranking purposes for admission to undergraduate programmes.”
It also took note of the proposals of some of the Senates that a limited number of candidates (about five times the number of seats for admission in the IIT system) from the screening be considered eligible to appear in the Advanced test to be conducted by the IITs. It further agreed that the details of the Advanced test would be finalised in due course of time through discussion among the IITs so that it could be implemented from the year 2014.
Subsequently, the members of the Council decided to adopt the two-part joint entrance examination to be held on the same day, from year 2013.
Under this two-tier selection procedure, the Council allowed the IITs to first assess candidates on the basis of the JEE Main and their Class XII marks normalised on percentile basis, giving equal weightage to both, and screen a fixed number of students. The Council made it clear that the ranking for admission to undergraduate programmes in IITs would be based entirely on the performance in JEE-Advanced by the screened candidates.
But for other Centrally funded technical institutions (CFTIs), it was decided that they would continue to be governed by the proposed policy of ranking based on 40 per cent weightage to Class XII Board marks, 30 per cent weightage to performance in JEE-Mains and another 30 per cent weightage for performance in JEE-Advanced.
The Council decided that both JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced tests would be objective and multiple choice type. It was agreed that the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of the IIT system would have “complete control” over the academic components of the test such as paper setting, evaluation and preparation of the merit list, among others, while the CBSE will provide the administrative and logistic support for the conduct of examination across the country.
But, this did not convince opponents of the common test. The Council’s decision was dubbed as an “attack on the autonomy” of IITs by their alumni association. The All India IIT Faculty Federation has sought that the government restore IITs’ autonomy by “officially” seeking ratification or acceptance from the various IIT Senates on the joint entrance examination finalised by IIT Council.
The Senate of IIT-Kanpur has raised a banner of revolt against the Council’s decision and even passed a resolution to hold its own examination for admissions to the institution’s under graduate programmes in 2013.
The Senate authorised the Institute’s director to set up a committee in consultation with the dean of academics for finalising the modalities of the entrance examination. The committee, to the extent possible, shall coordinate with other IITs to conduct the test jointly. The resolution passed by the Senate, however, is subject to approval by the Board of Governors of the IIT before it comes into effect, as per the Institute of Technology Act, 1961.
Legal route
The IIT Alumni Association has threatened to move court against the IIT Council decision.
Association president Somnath Bharti contended that under the IT Act, the IIT Council can only advice or recommend. It is the Senate of each IIT which has powers to promulgate ordinance relating to various matters, including admissions, which, of course, has to be approved by the Board of Governors.
HRD Ministry officials, however, counter the argument stating that the IIT Council can lay down policy under the IT Act in “matters of common interest”, and issue of admissions to the IITs is a matter of common interest. “IIT Council is the highest decision making body of the IITs,” an official said.
But, the implementation of the proposed test, which seeks to merge IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination for admission to IITs) and AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination), has encountered a major roadblock as a section of the faculty, students and alumni of the IITs are up in arms against the examination format, citing several lacunae.
The joint entrance examination proposal has its genesis in the ‘in-principle’ approval accorded to it by the Council of IITs in its meeting held on September 14 last year.
This was based on the T Ramasami Committee report, which recommended a common national examination with weightage to marks obtained in the state board exams, and normalised on the basis of percentile formula developed by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Though many IIT faculty members and alumni did not favour a common test, an opinion poll on the Ramasami report, conducted through the Central Government’s portal last year, saw 85 per cent of the participants favouring the reforms in the current entrance test system, while 73 per cent supported holding a national test like the scholastic aptitude test conducted in the United States.
IIT faculty came up with differing views on the proposed normalisation of the Board marks through percentile formula, weightage to be given to the Board examination, eligibility criteria, methodology of selection and the year of introduction of the proposed test.
A faculty member of IIT-Kanpur contended that the one nation one test would put rural children at a disadvantage as it was bound to have elements of the existing JEE that tests conceptual rigour. Rural students are not exposed to the kind of rigour needed to understand fundamental principles in any domain. However, a majority of the respondents (66 per cent), who participated in the opinion poll, had favoured giving weightage to overall and consistent performance in examinations of school boards.
All the states had consented to the proposed common test, and many, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, expressed their eagerness to adopt it in the technical institutions coming under their jurisdiction.
Even as the government was giving a final shape to the proposed reforms in February this year, the Senates of the various IITs reviewed the proposal between April 25 and May 5.
Of the seven old IITs, the Senates of IIT Guwahati, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee supported the proposed joint entrance examination. IIT Bombay proposed to retain the present system “with minor modifications”, while IIT Kanpur’s Senate wanted “substantial modification”, an HRD Ministry official told Deccan Herald.
The views of the IIT Senates were placed before the IIT Council held on May 12, and again at the joint meeting of the Council with NITs and IIITs on May 28.
The Council in its May 12 meeting observed: “By and large, the middle ground of opinions expressed by IIT Senates recommend that the Class XII Board results along with the National Test (Mains) be considered as screening or gating with the National Test (Advanced level) being solely used for ranking purposes for admission to undergraduate programmes.”
It also took note of the proposals of some of the Senates that a limited number of candidates (about five times the number of seats for admission in the IIT system) from the screening be considered eligible to appear in the Advanced test to be conducted by the IITs. It further agreed that the details of the Advanced test would be finalised in due course of time through discussion among the IITs so that it could be implemented from the year 2014.
Subsequently, the members of the Council decided to adopt the two-part joint entrance examination to be held on the same day, from year 2013.
Under this two-tier selection procedure, the Council allowed the IITs to first assess candidates on the basis of the JEE Main and their Class XII marks normalised on percentile basis, giving equal weightage to both, and screen a fixed number of students. The Council made it clear that the ranking for admission to undergraduate programmes in IITs would be based entirely on the performance in JEE-Advanced by the screened candidates.
But for other Centrally funded technical institutions (CFTIs), it was decided that they would continue to be governed by the proposed policy of ranking based on 40 per cent weightage to Class XII Board marks, 30 per cent weightage to performance in JEE-Mains and another 30 per cent weightage for performance in JEE-Advanced.
The Council decided that both JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced tests would be objective and multiple choice type. It was agreed that the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of the IIT system would have “complete control” over the academic components of the test such as paper setting, evaluation and preparation of the merit list, among others, while the CBSE will provide the administrative and logistic support for the conduct of examination across the country.
But, this did not convince opponents of the common test. The Council’s decision was dubbed as an “attack on the autonomy” of IITs by their alumni association. The All India IIT Faculty Federation has sought that the government restore IITs’ autonomy by “officially” seeking ratification or acceptance from the various IIT Senates on the joint entrance examination finalised by IIT Council.
The Senate of IIT-Kanpur has raised a banner of revolt against the Council’s decision and even passed a resolution to hold its own examination for admissions to the institution’s under graduate programmes in 2013.
The Senate authorised the Institute’s director to set up a committee in consultation with the dean of academics for finalising the modalities of the entrance examination. The committee, to the extent possible, shall coordinate with other IITs to conduct the test jointly. The resolution passed by the Senate, however, is subject to approval by the Board of Governors of the IIT before it comes into effect, as per the Institute of Technology Act, 1961.
Legal route
The IIT Alumni Association has threatened to move court against the IIT Council decision.
Association president Somnath Bharti contended that under the IT Act, the IIT Council can only advice or recommend. It is the Senate of each IIT which has powers to promulgate ordinance relating to various matters, including admissions, which, of course, has to be approved by the Board of Governors.
HRD Ministry officials, however, counter the argument stating that the IIT Council can lay down policy under the IT Act in “matters of common interest”, and issue of admissions to the IITs is a matter of common interest. “IIT Council is the highest decision making body of the IITs,” an official said.
313 - IITs’ autonomy will not be eroded, PM assures faculty - Hindu Busioness Line
IITs’ autonomy will not be eroded, PM assures faculty
New Delhi, June 15:
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has given his assurance that the
autonomy of the various Indian Institutes of Technology will not be
eroded but be protected at all levels.
The assurance was given at a meeting that representatives of the All
India Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Faculty Federation had with
the Prime Minister here on Friday. The meeting was called to discuss the
concerns related to the ‘one nation, one test' entrance examination for
engineering institutes.
“We had a very fruitful discussion. The Prime Minister said that the
brand IIT has to be maintained and added that as a former teacher he
understands how important an institute's academic autonomy is,” Prof
A.K. Mittal, Secretary, All India IIT Faculty Federation, said.
Representatives of all seven IITs were present at the meeting.
“The Prime Ministry appreciated the key concerns we have been
expressing. He has agreed to take up the matter with the Human Resources
Ministry. We are sure a dialogue will open up again and fruitful
solutions would emerge,” Prof K. Narasimhan, President of the
Federation, and Faculty at IIT-Bombay, said.
Prof Narasimhan added that though the announcement for the changes
should be made at the earliest, the IITs want the reform process to
start only from 2014 to enable students to prepare.
He added that the IITs are not against the inclusion of board marks but
they are not convinced with the proposed normalisation process and would
like the exams in 2013 to be treated as a dry-run, enabling them to
analyse how inclusion of Class XII board marks changes the merit list.
The IIT Senates have been opposing the decision to hold common entrance
examination, a move which had been approved by the IIT Council in May
this year.
However, according to the IIT Act, 1961, the “Senate of an Institute
shall have the control and general regulation, and be responsible for
the maintenance, of standards of instruction, education and examination
in the Institute.”
Further, according to the Act, the IIT Council is responsible for
co-ordinating the activities of all the Institutes. The Act goes on to
state that the Council will also “advise on matters relating to the
duration of the courses, the degrees and other academic distinctions to
be conferred by the Institutes, admission standards and other academic
matters.”
However, at the meeting with the Prime Minister, the Federation
requested that “Senates of IITs be allowed to take decision on admission
in IITs (considering all relevant aspects like format of examination,
modalities etc).”
Saturday, June 16, 2012
308 - IIT faculty federation meets Manmohan Singh - NEWS TRACK INDIA
IIT faculty federation meets Manmohan Singh
New Delhi, Fri, 15 Jun 2012
New Delhi, June 15 (ANI): Members of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Faculty Federation met the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, here on Friday to discuss the Central Government's proposal of a Common Engineering Entrance exam.
Federation Secretary, A K Mittal, after the meeting said the Prime Minister has assured that he will talk to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.
"We expressed our concerns to him, he gave us a very patient hearing and then what he told us what that he does respect the autonomy of higher education institutions. He is very much concerned and he will talk to the minister about all the issues and also requested us to continue talking and engage in dialogues, so that is what he has said," said Mittal after meeting Dr. Singh.
The Prime Minister has assured that the prestige of the IIT would not be jeopardised, as it is respected across the world.
Calling the meeting with the Prime Minister fruitful, another IIT professor, K Narasimhan, said: "We are extremely confident because our Prime Minister have appreciated the key concerns that we have been expressing and he has kindly agreed to take the matter to HRM (Human Resource Management)."
"So, we have 200 percent faith in our Prime Minister, and, we are sure that dialogue will open up again and fruitful solutions will emerge," he added.
Narasimhan further said that one of their key demands is to restore the autonomy of IIT, and allow them to conduct their own test.
"The year 2013 is too early and enough time needs to be given to the students, to the stakeholders, so our primary concern, one of our demand pointing out is that, we would like to see the reform process kick in from 2014, although the announcement for such a reform should be made at the earliest that there will be a major structural change etc.," he said.
The IIT faculty federation is opposing the proposed common entrance to these institutes.
The federation has contended that the common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme to the IITs and other Centrally-funded institutes will undermine the autonomous status enjoyed by the IITs. (ANI)
Friday, June 15, 2012
306 - Autonomy of IITs will remain intact, PM assures federation - India Today
PTI New Delhi, June 15, 2012 | UPDATED 15:32 IST
Autonomy of IITs will remain intact, PM assures federation
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday gave an assurance that the
autonomy of IITs will remain 'intact', the IIT faculty federation, opposing the proposed
common entrance to these institutes, said after meeting him.
"We
explained each of our points to him (PM). He has told us he will talk to
Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister and assured that the
autonomy of the IITs will remain intact," secretary of All India IIT
Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) A K Mittal told reporters after the
federation met Singh.
The federation has contended that the
common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme to
the IITs and other Centrally-funded institutes will undermine the
autonomous status enjoyed by the IITs.
The meeting came in the
backdrop of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal cutting short his US visit and
returning to India late last night.
During the meeting, the
federation raised the issue of autonomy and said the decision taken by
the IIT council about holding the one nation one examination should be
ratified by all the IIT senates.
"We also insisted that any
change in the entrance test should be effected only after 2013," Mittal
said.
The federation also raised the issue of giving weightage to
board marks after the process of normalisation for preparing the merit
list, saying "normalisation of board marks needs more studies", he said.
Mittal
felt all the IITs are free to emulate IIT
Kanpur' s move to hold its own entrance test following the
government's decision to hold the nation-wide common entrance test under
a new format.
The federation, which is of the view that the new
format will increase stress of students instead of decreasing it, has
said that students aspiring to join institutes other than the IITs need
not sit for two tests -- main and advance --as proposed.
It said
that only the main be used for all institutes except the IITs to select
students. It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
"The
IITs advance test should be subjective type, just for the candidates
aspiring to join the IITs. This advance test will be held on a day
different from the main test and will be administered to only
shortlisted candidates from the main test (50,000-70,000) by IITs only,"
the federation has said in a statement yesterday after meeting PMO
officials.
Mittal had said the meeting with PM's advisor T K A
Nair was "productive and encouraging".
305 - Autonomy of IITs will remain intact: PM to Federation - IBN LIVE
Autonomy of IITs will remain intact: PM to Federation
Education | Posted on Jun 15, 2012 at 02:57pm IST
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 15 gave an
assurance that the autonomy of IITs will remain "intact", the IIT
faculty federation, opposing the proposed common entrance to these
institutes, said after meeting him.
"We explained each of our points to him(PM). He has told us he will talk to HRD Minister and assured that the autonomy of the IITs will remain intact," secretary of All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) AK Mittal informed after the federation met Singh.
The federation has contended that the common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme to the IITs and other Centrally-funded institutes will undermine the autonomous status enjoyed by the IITs.
"We explained each of our points to him(PM). He has told us he will talk to HRD Minister and assured that the autonomy of the IITs will remain intact," secretary of All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) AK Mittal informed after the federation met Singh.
The federation has contended that the common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate programme to the IITs and other Centrally-funded institutes will undermine the autonomous status enjoyed by the IITs.
The meeting came in the backdrop of HRD
Minister Kapil Sibal cutting short his US visit and returning to India
late last night.
During the meeting, the federation raised the issue of autonomy and said the decision taken by the IIT council about holding the one nation one examination should be ratified by all the IIT senates.
"We also insisted that any change in the entrance test should be effected only after 2013," Mittal said.
The federation also raised the issue of giving weightage to board marks after the process of normalisation for preparing the merit list, saying "normalisation of board marks needs more studies", he said.
Mittal felt all the IITs are free to emulate IIT Kanpur's move to hold its own entrance test following the government's decision to hold the nation-wide common entrance test under a new format.
The federation, which is of the view that the new format will increase stress of students instead of decreasing it, has said that students aspiring to join institutes other than the IITs need not sit for two test - main and advance – as proposed.
It said that only the main be used for all institutes except the IITs to select students. It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
"The IITs advance test should be subjective type, just for the candidates aspiring to join the IITs. This advance test will be held on a day different from the main test and will be administered to only shortlisted candidates from the main test (50,000-70,000) by IITs only," the federation has said in a statement on June 14 after meeting PMO officials.
Mittal had said the meeting with PM's advisor TKA Nair was "productive and encouraging”.
During the meeting, the federation raised the issue of autonomy and said the decision taken by the IIT council about holding the one nation one examination should be ratified by all the IIT senates.
"We also insisted that any change in the entrance test should be effected only after 2013," Mittal said.
The federation also raised the issue of giving weightage to board marks after the process of normalisation for preparing the merit list, saying "normalisation of board marks needs more studies", he said.
Mittal felt all the IITs are free to emulate IIT Kanpur's move to hold its own entrance test following the government's decision to hold the nation-wide common entrance test under a new format.
The federation, which is of the view that the new format will increase stress of students instead of decreasing it, has said that students aspiring to join institutes other than the IITs need not sit for two test - main and advance – as proposed.
It said that only the main be used for all institutes except the IITs to select students. It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
"The IITs advance test should be subjective type, just for the candidates aspiring to join the IITs. This advance test will be held on a day different from the main test and will be administered to only shortlisted candidates from the main test (50,000-70,000) by IITs only," the federation has said in a statement on June 14 after meeting PMO officials.
Mittal had said the meeting with PM's advisor TKA Nair was "productive and encouraging”.
303 - IITs not for social engineering - HINDU BUSINESS LINE
IITs not for social engineering
The IITs have won recognition through one of the most ruthlessly
competitive selection systems. Fairness or unfairness has nothing to do
with it.
June 13, 2012:
Imagine the furore if the Indian cricket team was to be picked on the
basis of who can run 400 m the fastest!
An ability to sprint fast is undoubtedly required to play any
competitive field sport, but that alone, as anyone with even nodding
familiarity with the game will tell you, is not enough to turn one into a
cricketer.
Yet, the Union Human Resources Development Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal's
bullying persistence in ramming through his pet ‘single entrance test'
plan for all engineering and science courses in the country —including
those offered by the elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) — is
based on just such quixotic reasoning.
For a self-declared democrat and someone who is dependent on winning
elections in order to hold the office which gives him the power to take
such decisions — which necessarily implies at least a modicum of people
skills —
Mr Sibal has shown a remarkable ability to not listen to the
public.
He has turned a blind eye to the logic advanced by those opposing the
move and simply shut out the chorus of voices raised in opposition from
stakeholders one would have thought had an equal, if not greater say in
such a decision — the students themselves, their parents, the IIT
faculty, the worthies who administer them, distinguished alumni and even
industry, which ultimately employs the output of the IITs.
Still multiple tests
On the face of it, the plan ticks all the right emotional boxes. Mr
Sibal says the move is aimed at reducing the burden of multiple entrance
tests on the student, something which no one has any quarrel with. Then
come the twists in the tale.
The test will be one, but 50 per cent weight will be given to the 12th
standard examinations. Which means that we already have multiple exams,
not one.
Then there will be a second test — an ‘advanced' one — for
entry into the IITs itself. Presumably, there might be similar advanced
tests for those wanting to do science, say. So we have a multiplicity of
tests.
There will be quite another test for those wanting to do medicine, for
example, and yet another ‘advanced' test for those wanting to do
medicine in the IIT-equivalent medical institutes such as AIIMS or the
PGMER in Chandigarh (since Mr Sibal's writ does not run in the Health
Ministry, which administers the medical tests). There is yet another
test for those wanting to do law, and so on.
It is not inconceivable that the same student might want to take a shot
at all three. At 17 or 18 — the age when students complete their 12th
standard — they are still largely unformed buds, with their true
potential yet to be explored, leave alone exploited. And given the
reality of the lack of quality higher education opportunities in the
country, vis-Ã -vis the quantity of students aspiring for such education,
wanting to have chance at one or the other is but natural. So, one exam
for engineering is not going to reduce the burden by much.
The real agenda, it appears, is to cloak the degraded and devalued state
education board scores with the legitimacy of academic excellence
furnished by the IITs. This is akin to killing the goose that lays the
golden egg.
The IITs are in a position to be exploited for such purposes precisely
because they have managed to sustain an island of excellence amid an
ocean of mediocrity.
School-leaving exams
This is not to say that the current system of selecting candidates for
IITs is perfect. Far from it. There have been growing murmurs from the
IIT faculty itself about the quality of students filtering through the
system. A thriving industry has sprung up in coaching and training
aspirants to crack the IIT entrance. So you have a growing number of
students who have managed to score outstandingly in the entrance exam —
by simply familiarising themselves with the pattern of questions — and
yet flounder in actual coursework.
There is also considerable ground for questioning the existing board
level examination system in the 12{+t}{+h} standard. They have become
mere tests of rote learning and memory power, prone to manipulation,
illogical marking and political and other interference.
But two wrongs cannot be made into a right by steamrolling a new exam.
Mr Sibal's dream is to have a system of collegiate education similar to
the US. But the solution is not to introduce a SAT analogue in India and
ignore the reality of the system underlying it.
There is also the question of the de-branding of the IITs. The IIT, it
can be reasonably argued, is the one sole government-created,
government-owned brand which has managed to win global recognition and
accolades for quality, consistency and excellence. Hardly anything else
sporting a ‘Made in India' label can have the kind of automatic access
which an IIT degree gives its holder.
Soft power
The kind of ‘soft power' wielded by IITs extends far beyond the realms
of academia. IITs have contributed the cream of managerial talent to
India Inc. There is hardly any BSE 100 company which does not boast of
IITians in positions of power. More than any other collegiate group, IIT
grads have helped script the India success story. Indeed, many
distinguished alumni are heading, or have helmed, giant transnational
corporations and have, directly or indirectly, helped focus attention on
the potential of India and Indians.
That kind of recognition and access was hard won, earned on the back of
one of the most ruthlessly competitive selection systems. To now dilute
the essence of that system is shooting oneself in the foot. Fairness or
unfairness has nothing to do with it. The IITs are about excellence, not
social engineering.
School exams are used as a qualifier, even in the US, which Mr Sibal so
clearly wants to eliminate. Other systems which have produced excellence
— our medical colleges, the IIMs, even the hallowed Indian
Administrative Service — use the school or college exam results as a
pre-qualifier and rely on their own system to pick the right candidate.
Why can't the IITs be allowed to do so as well? Why try to fix something
which isn't broken?
298 - CET row: IIT faculty federation to meet PM today - ZEE News
CET row: IIT faculty federation to meet PM today
Friday, June 15, 2012
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: The IIT faculty federation, opposed to the proposed common entrance test (CET) for admission in IITs and other centrally-funded technical institutes, will meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Friday.
The members of the All India Faculty Federation of the IITs, which had written to Manmohan Singh earlier this month, yesterday met officials of Prime Minister’s Office on the issue and sought a roll back of the decision.
Today's meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh assumes significance in the wake of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal virtually ruling out going back on the Centre's new proposal.
AIIITFF had written to the Prime Minister on May 31 saying that "each IIT is an individual and independent academic entity and should reserve its right to follow its own norms with regards to admissions and other academic matter".
Sibal, who is currently on a visit to the US, has said that the government has no intent to impinge on the autonomy of the IITs.
The government had on May 28 announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of common entrance test, which will also take the plus-two board results into consideration.
Sibal had claimed that it was approved without dissent at a council consisting of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs.
Delhi IIT alumni association also shared a letter with the press and addressed to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, which shows IIT Kanpur's dissent over the council's decision of adopting the new test format.
New Delhi: The IIT faculty federation, opposed to the proposed common entrance test (CET) for admission in IITs and other centrally-funded technical institutes, will meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Friday.
The members of the All India Faculty Federation of the IITs, which had written to Manmohan Singh earlier this month, yesterday met officials of Prime Minister’s Office on the issue and sought a roll back of the decision.
Today's meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh assumes significance in the wake of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal virtually ruling out going back on the Centre's new proposal.
AIIITFF had written to the Prime Minister on May 31 saying that "each IIT is an individual and independent academic entity and should reserve its right to follow its own norms with regards to admissions and other academic matter".
Sibal, who is currently on a visit to the US, has said that the government has no intent to impinge on the autonomy of the IITs.
The government had on May 28 announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of common entrance test, which will also take the plus-two board results into consideration.
Sibal had claimed that it was approved without dissent at a council consisting of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs.
Delhi IIT alumni association also shared a letter with the press and addressed to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, which shows IIT Kanpur's dissent over the council's decision of adopting the new test format.
| Later in a statement yesterday, the federation demanded that since the
new common entrance test was decided upon without proper consultation
process, each IIT should now be given choices of accepting the proposed
test as it is, accept it with specific conditions or riders or reject
the proposed test and have own admission processes. It reiterated that the any changes should be only from 2014 or later and the current test pattern such as JEE, AIEEE, other state entrance test should continue at least for the year 2013. The federation insisted that board performance should be used as cut-off only instead of giving weightage to it after the process of normalisation as has been proposed under the new format. |
The federation also contested the two-tier format for the common test,
(appearing in both main and advance test) stating that only the main be
used for all institutes except the IITs to select students.
It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
Sibal on his part has said the decision comes after two years of deliberations with the IITs and is a unanimous one. The minister, however, said that he is willing to talk with dissenting bodies on the issue.
With PTI Input
It said the advance test should be required only for the IITs.
Sibal on his part has said the decision comes after two years of deliberations with the IITs and is a unanimous one. The minister, however, said that he is willing to talk with dissenting bodies on the issue.
With PTI Input
296 - IIT faculty federation to meet Prime Minister; seek roll back of common entrance test - NDTV
IIT faculty federation to meet Prime Minister; seek roll back of common entrance test
Reported by Um-e-Kulsoom
| Updated: June 15, 2012 02:30 IST
New Delhi: The row over the new entrance format for all centrally
funded engineering colleges proposed by Human Rights and Development
(HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal, now reaches the Prime Minister's office.
Members from the All India Faculty Federation of the IITs, which had written to Manmohan Singh earlier this month, and met officials of his office today, will be meeting him on Friday to express their dissent and ask for intervention.
The federation is opposing Mr Sibal's proposal that a common entrance examination be held from 2013 for admission to the centrally funded engineering institutes. These include the 15 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and all the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). As per this proposal equal weightage will be given to marks obtained in the Class XII examinations and those of the entrance tests. Mr Sibal had said that the common entrance exam for engineering colleges was aimed at reducing the pressure on students who finish Class 12 and then have to take multiple exams for different engineering colleges.
Members from the All India Faculty Federation of the IITs, which had written to Manmohan Singh earlier this month, and met officials of his office today, will be meeting him on Friday to express their dissent and ask for intervention.
The federation is opposing Mr Sibal's proposal that a common entrance examination be held from 2013 for admission to the centrally funded engineering institutes. These include the 15 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and all the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). As per this proposal equal weightage will be given to marks obtained in the Class XII examinations and those of the entrance tests. Mr Sibal had said that the common entrance exam for engineering colleges was aimed at reducing the pressure on students who finish Class 12 and then have to take multiple exams for different engineering colleges.
The federation which had termed the decision of the one nation, one test
as a unilateral decision of the HRD ministry, will request the Prime
Minister to restore the autonomy of the IITs and allow them to conduct
their own tests. They will also demand that IITs be allowed to decide
whether to accept, change or reject the new proposal by the HRD
ministry. The federation is also of the view that any sweeping changes
in the admission process should be given time and the new format should
be brought in only after 2014.
The group will also suggest a one nation, one board instead, so that class 12 students from across India can be evaluated by a common board.
Mr Sibal's proposals which are set to be applicable from next year, also says that all aspirants will have to appear for a main test and an advanced test. In what appears to be a complete rollback, the federation is demanding that advance test should be a 'Subjective Type' test as opposed to the proposal by the ministry which calls for a multiple type test.
The meeting with the Prime Minister is significant as various bodies of the IITs have opposed these new proposals. IIT Kanpur has already announced that it will conduct its own entrance test from next year. The IIT Delhi senate, which is due to meet on June 21, is likely to follow suit.
Mr Sibal on his part has said the decision comes after two years of deliberations with the IITs and is a unanimous one. The minister, who is currently in the US has said he is willing to talk with dissenting bodies on the issue.
The group will also suggest a one nation, one board instead, so that class 12 students from across India can be evaluated by a common board.
Mr Sibal's proposals which are set to be applicable from next year, also says that all aspirants will have to appear for a main test and an advanced test. In what appears to be a complete rollback, the federation is demanding that advance test should be a 'Subjective Type' test as opposed to the proposal by the ministry which calls for a multiple type test.
The meeting with the Prime Minister is significant as various bodies of the IITs have opposed these new proposals. IIT Kanpur has already announced that it will conduct its own entrance test from next year. The IIT Delhi senate, which is due to meet on June 21, is likely to follow suit.
Mr Sibal on his part has said the decision comes after two years of deliberations with the IITs and is a unanimous one. The minister, who is currently in the US has said he is willing to talk with dissenting bodies on the issue.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
293 - CET issue: PM to meet IIT Federation today - ZEE News
Last Updated: Thursday, June 14, 2012, 10:57
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday will meet the Faculty Federation and Alumni Associations of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to discuss the proposed Common Entrance Test (CET).
The meeting comes after the revolt against the Human Resource Development Ministry's move for a common engineering entrance test by IIT-Kanpur professors who sought "direct and immediate intervention" of the PM to settle the issue.
The Faculty Forum has opined that by doing away with the AIEEE, NIT, IIT-JEE and changing the exam format to a single CET, engineering aspirants would be burdened with pressure and tension.
Urging the Prime Minister to use his "good offices" to thrash out contentious issue at the earliest, IIT-Kanpur has also asked Dr Singh to order cancellation of the proposed CET format that the HRD ministry is likely to implement.
The IIT-Kanpur virtually revolted against the HRD Ministry's move for a common entrance test and announced that it would hold its own entrance test from 2013.
Soon after Kanpur raised the banner of revolt, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay also dropped enough hints that they too would go the Kanpur way. There is a growing sentiment against the CET proposal, many in the IIT faculty feel.
The IIT-Kanpur is upset with the ministry's decision to merge IIT Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE) with the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the 210-member senate of IIT-Kanpur has passed a resolution rejecting the new format.
In a resolution moved and voted by the senate, it was said that the recent "IIT Council proposal on admissions to IITs is academically and methodically unsound and in violation of the Institutes of Technology Act (1961) and IIT Kanpur Ordinances (Ordinance 3.2 (Admissions)."
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