New Delhi: HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday
said the proposed common test for admission to undergraduate
engineering programmes in institutions like IITs will give
"better representation of excellence" even as a section of IIT
Delhi students objected to the move.
While Sibal said the new system will continue to maintain
the IIT brand, the students contended the proposal will not be
beneficial for the IITs.
They said the system will further burden students and not
help in checking coaching institutes.
"Under the new system, 40 per cent weightage will be
given to school board marks, but it will close all doors for a
student who fail to score well in the board. Besides, the
system will will lead to more irregularities in the board
exams," the students told reporters here.
They lamented being stopped from making representation to
the minister.
As per the new system, a common merit list will be
prepared based on 60 per cent weightage to the common test and
not less than 40 per cent to Class XII examination after
normalising scores of the state boards.
While the state education ministers meet has given in
principal approval to the proposal, Tamil Nadu has rejected
the plan Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry and West Bengal
sought more time to study the proposal in details.
Sibal said the IITs will have to play a more proactive
role in the coming years as it is confronted with new
challenges and look for better opportunities.
PTI
