IIT-Delhi goes the Kanpur way

Updated on: Saturday, June 23, 2012

IIT-Delhi today following in the footsteps of IIT-Kanpur, decided to conduct its own entrance exam from next year, rejecting HRD Minister Kapil Sibal's single entrance test proposal.

The decision was taken at a crucial meeting of the institute's senate here.

"We will not accept the proposed single entrance test and will conduct our own exam," said a senate member, adding the proposed test "impinges" on the autonomy of IIT-Delhi.

"The proposed test is academically unsound and procedurally untenable," the member said.

He said the other IITs have been asked to reject the new system and join hands with IIT-Delhi and IIT-Kanpur.

Indications are that the senate is in favour of retaining the existing format of the IIT-JEE test even as it has decided to set up a committee to examine the issue.

The decision of the senate comes a day after Sibal reiterated that there was no going back from holding the single entrance test from next year.

IIT-Kanpur had early this month rejected the proposed test terming it "academically and methodically unsound".

The government had on May 28 announced the new test from 2013, under which 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 plus two board results into consideration.

A resolution passed at the end of the meeting said the senate has decided that the 2012 entrance test will be on the lines of JEE 2012.

"The senate has decided to conduct its own entrance examination in coordination with other IITs, if possible. For 2014 and beyond, the senate will set up a committee which will review and propose changes to the senate," it said.

The resolution stated that for the 2013 exam, a committee will be appointed by IIT-Delhi senate "which will coordinate the conduct of the above examination jointly with the other IITs to the extend possible".

For 2014 and beyond, the chairman senate shall constitute a committee to review the IIT-JEE examination, the resolution said.

Hailing the move, IIT-Delhi alumni association said it fully supports the resolution and reiterated that "should the need arise, the alumni will be taking the matter (of the government's decision to hold the proposed exam) to court".

The faculty federation has already met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voicing its opposition to the test. It has stated that Singh gave an assurance that autonomy of the IITs will be maintained.

The IITs opposing the new format contend the proposed test will increase stress of students instead of decreasing it. They feel students aspiring to join institutes other than the IITs need not sit for two test main and advance as proposed.

They have also insisted that board examination results should not be taken into consideration while preparing the merit list.

IIT-Delhi goes the Kanpur way

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