Very purpose of inclusion of +2 Class Board Exam Marks in engineering entrance is a flawed idea. If the idea is to make student go to schools and study, then that decision would not change, yet more coaching shall be there from before; one for board exam and another for engineering entrance. Which is the exact thing happening with these premier institutes’ admissions.
Recent decision of IIT Council and MHRD, Govt of India having accepted the recommendation of Prof Ramaswami Report on common entrance test for all engineering courses on undergraduate level, has surrounded in controversy on multiple issues like ignoring procedure, lack of research in proposing changes. IIT, India’s premier engineering institutes, community had slammed these proposed changes.
Single exam - better
Today, India has many entrance tests for engineering stream IIT JEE for all IITs and IISc and some equivalent central government funded institutes, AIEEE for all NITs and majority of private engineering institutes accept its score too and every central, state and Private and Deemed institutes take their separate tests some of these also accept AIEEE score along with their test score. Having a single exam helps in providing single window to all engineering institutes. Yet, autonomy of engineering institutes in selection should also be maintained to sustain quality of education in the institutes.
Mushrooming Coaching Industry
Issue lies in the mushrooming Coaching industry, charging fees in lakhs of rupees, placing students from modest backgrounds lagging behind in the race, forcing middle class family to manage - anyhow and fund their off-springs dream to join IIT JEE. Now cities like Kota have emerged as centres of this coaching industry with giants like Bansal Classes, Resonance and FIITJEE as new czars of the new regime.
Subjective Exam
The difference between students of Bharat and student of India is widening. Post 2005 when IIT administration had changed the pattern, abolishing mains, a six hour subjective exam, IIT alumni and Professors too claim that quality of student population has gone down. Rigorous mugging of short-cuts and question bank has led not so sharp student to also manage the cut at top IITs, which has raised questions to the IIT JEE, even then changes suggested in Prof Ramaswami committee doesn’t has fact, figures to support this claim, and suggested changes presents no idea of the objective, apart from having single entrance test, of the new test. What implication it shall have on the coaching industry is not stipulated.
Pre 2005 IIT JEE, where students appeared in preliminary, an objective multi choice, examination for screening level and mains, a comprehensive subjective, examination to judge best talents for IITs and premier engineering institutes. It will be wise to re-think and go back to the pattern which had yielded us for decades. This pattern shall be helpful in tackling ongoing debate of Common Engineering Test.
Autonomy of IITs
Overlooking statutory bodies like IIT Senates of each institute before declaring end to IIT JEE is a blatant move of undermining the autonomy of IIT like premier institutes, this move shall be opposed.
Parity of +2 Marks among different Boards?
Inclusion of +2 board examinations which as we understands, would involve complication of disparity among various board exam and normalization of marks between various boards, issues of copying, unfair means cases are still faced by many education boards, shall make it of no use to judge the best talents of this country. Diploma students, International Baccalaureates and other international exam students shall be placed outside this system and would be oversimplification of the rule if normalised.
Aptitude Test
It is not worth to have quantitative aptitude test for engineering students, who should be best judged on understanding of fundamentals, and it is to give undue advantage on English language proficiency, would set back students of rural backgrounds. When student study higher maths then it is not needed to have aptitude test asking student to judge among words, coding-decoding, reasoning etc, which is of little use for students who should be best judged on the level of competence on deciphering the fundamentals of science and mathematics the core of engineering.
Who shall conduct the exam?
Generally, organisation which is inducting applicants takes the exams, so unlike UPSE, State PSE, UGC NET, CAT, SAT, GMAT, this new exam pattern would be different as it shall be governed by CBSE not any University or autonomous organisation of institutes inducting students.
Recent decision of IIT Council and MHRD, Govt of India having accepted the recommendation of Prof Ramaswami Report on common entrance test for all engineering courses on undergraduate level, has surrounded in controversy on multiple issues like ignoring procedure, lack of research in proposing changes. IIT, India’s premier engineering institutes, community had slammed these proposed changes.
Single exam - better
Today, India has many entrance tests for engineering stream IIT JEE for all IITs and IISc and some equivalent central government funded institutes, AIEEE for all NITs and majority of private engineering institutes accept its score too and every central, state and Private and Deemed institutes take their separate tests some of these also accept AIEEE score along with their test score. Having a single exam helps in providing single window to all engineering institutes. Yet, autonomy of engineering institutes in selection should also be maintained to sustain quality of education in the institutes.
Mushrooming Coaching Industry
Issue lies in the mushrooming Coaching industry, charging fees in lakhs of rupees, placing students from modest backgrounds lagging behind in the race, forcing middle class family to manage - anyhow and fund their off-springs dream to join IIT JEE. Now cities like Kota have emerged as centres of this coaching industry with giants like Bansal Classes, Resonance and FIITJEE as new czars of the new regime.
Subjective Exam
The difference between students of Bharat and student of India is widening. Post 2005 when IIT administration had changed the pattern, abolishing mains, a six hour subjective exam, IIT alumni and Professors too claim that quality of student population has gone down. Rigorous mugging of short-cuts and question bank has led not so sharp student to also manage the cut at top IITs, which has raised questions to the IIT JEE, even then changes suggested in Prof Ramaswami committee doesn’t has fact, figures to support this claim, and suggested changes presents no idea of the objective, apart from having single entrance test, of the new test. What implication it shall have on the coaching industry is not stipulated.
Pre 2005 IIT JEE, where students appeared in preliminary, an objective multi choice, examination for screening level and mains, a comprehensive subjective, examination to judge best talents for IITs and premier engineering institutes. It will be wise to re-think and go back to the pattern which had yielded us for decades. This pattern shall be helpful in tackling ongoing debate of Common Engineering Test.
Autonomy of IITs
Overlooking statutory bodies like IIT Senates of each institute before declaring end to IIT JEE is a blatant move of undermining the autonomy of IIT like premier institutes, this move shall be opposed.
Parity of +2 Marks among different Boards?
Inclusion of +2 board examinations which as we understands, would involve complication of disparity among various board exam and normalization of marks between various boards, issues of copying, unfair means cases are still faced by many education boards, shall make it of no use to judge the best talents of this country. Diploma students, International Baccalaureates and other international exam students shall be placed outside this system and would be oversimplification of the rule if normalised.
Aptitude Test
It is not worth to have quantitative aptitude test for engineering students, who should be best judged on understanding of fundamentals, and it is to give undue advantage on English language proficiency, would set back students of rural backgrounds. When student study higher maths then it is not needed to have aptitude test asking student to judge among words, coding-decoding, reasoning etc, which is of little use for students who should be best judged on the level of competence on deciphering the fundamentals of science and mathematics the core of engineering.
Who shall conduct the exam?
Generally, organisation which is inducting applicants takes the exams, so unlike UPSE, State PSE, UGC NET, CAT, SAT, GMAT, this new exam pattern would be different as it shall be governed by CBSE not any University or autonomous organisation of institutes inducting students.
