New Delhi: Education Ministers of states
will meet here on Wednesday to decide on the Centre`s move to hold
a single entrance test for admissions to under graduate
science and engineering programmes across the country.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal says 11 education boards in the
country have unanimously supported the move and the government
now intends to seek the views of other boards in this regard.
"The states have to come onboard now. We are going to
have a meeting of the CABE committee, state education
ministers...all these will be put before the CABE committee.
We want to have a firm resolution at that level before we
actually hold the exam," he said.
"We are attempting to do that. I can tell you for example
there was a meeting of Council of Boards of School Education
in India (COBSE) yesterday. 11 boards came for this meeting of
COBSE and all 11 boards unanimously supported this," he said.
He was responding to a question whether the single
entrance test would come into force by 2013 as planned.
Sibal said the government intends to write to other
boards in the country asking them to give their views and
explain whether they have any problem with regard to conduct
of the single test.
The proposed entrance test, Indian Science - Engineering
Eligibility Test (ISEET), is likely to be conducted in April
or May next year and will have two parts -- ISEET main and
ISEET advance.
He said the main issue of bringing about equalisation of
the Class XII marks across the boards has been sorted out by a
formula designed by the Indian Statistical Institute that
would give "more representation" to states in the IIT system.
Sibal`s comments come ahead of his crucial meeting with
State Education Ministers here tomorrow during which the issue
would be discussed thread-bare.
Sibal said he did not want to convey any misgivings
especially on the issue of equalising various results of the
state board exams.
The formula that has been derived by Indian Statistical
Institute has taken into account the results of the last five
years and have come out with specific figures.
"We are willing to make a presentation. COBSE is fully
agreeable," he said.
When pointed out that some southern states are not
agreeable to the test, he said: "Who are saying they are
averse? At the CABE committee there was unanimity. People have
to be persuaded how the equalisation is taking place. In fact,
this would give more representation to states in the IIT
system."
PTI
