New Delhi, Jun 20: Amid indications that it could hold its own exam, IIT Delhi will decide tomorrow its response to the government's move to have a single entrance test for the elite institutes even as the HRD ministry looks set to go ahead with its plans.
IIT Kanpur had recently decided to conduct its own entrance test, terming as “academically and methodically unsound” the May 28 decision of the IIT Council to hold the single entrance test.
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 implementing the new system from 2013 will put a lot of pressure on students already in midst of preparing for the IIT-JEE next year.
The government is likely to ask the joint admission board of the IITs soon to prepare the modalities for conducting the advanced test under the proposed common entrance exam.
Sources also said that the senates of IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur held internal meetings today about the proposed exam and possible alternatives in the two-tier test.
The meeting of the IIT Delhi senate comes even as HRD Minister Kapil Sibal reiterated that there was no going back from holding the single entrance test from next year.
“This is not my decision (on holding the single entrance test). This is a decision of the IIT council which is a statutory authority under the IIT Act. The IITs have by and large accepted this decision,” Sibal told a TV news channel when asked if he was considering going back on the decision in face of opposition from IIT faculty and alumni to the test.
Sibal said the only opposition was coming from IIT Kanpur senate but noted that he was ready to reach to all to sort out the differences.
“I will reach out to all of them. I will talk to them. For the first time in the history of this country, I had personal interaction with faculty of all the IIT,” he said.
Sources in IIT faculty had yesterday claimed the Ministry was considering some of their demands which included not taking board examination results into consideration while preparing the merit list.
Sibal, though, made it clear 50 per cent weightage will be given to the board exam and 50 per cent weightage to the main exam.
As per the new format for admission to IITs and institutes such as NITs and IIITs, students will sit for a main test and an advance test. Performance of the plus-two board results will also be taken into consideration. IIT Guwahati and IIT Madras have so far expressed their full support to the new test.
Stating that the single test was proposed to address certain “ills in the implementation of the present system, Sibal said he would welcome the IIT council to come over with a better solution.
Observing that that declining standard of school system has led to a plethora of coaching institutes, Sibal said of 476 students admitted to IIT Bombay, 300 have come from coaching institutes.
He also felt that the common entrance test will do away with capitation fee.
Sibal further said the formula devised takes care of IIT excellence and improves the quality of school system and take away tension from the students.
