IIT-D alumni reject new entrance formula

New Delhi, June 28,2012: IIT Delhi Alumni Association Thursday rejected the human resource development (HRD) ministry's new formula for tests for entrance into the premier institutes and demanded a status quo in 2013. The ministry's fresh proposal enables only top 20 percent scorers of any board in Class 12 exam to enter the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

The association's decision was taken here after a two-hour meeting with representatives of IIT faculty, following a compromise between the HRD ministry and IIT Council Wednesday over the entrance exam pattern for admission to engineering institutes.

As per the new formula, there will be a "main" test for the top 20 percent scorers of all boards, and then a final "advanced" exam, under the IITs supervision, for the top 1,50,000 applicants. The new format will come into effect from 2013, if accepted by the ministry.

"The 20 percent criteria and 2013 to be the beginning year of the new proposal stands rejected because such patch-work solutions have been taken in haste to meet deadlines," said a statement by the association.

The HRD ministry and IIT Council Wednesday agreed to have a new two-stage entrance test formula proposed by the IITs following opposition from some of the premier institutes to the single entrance examination mooted by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal. The meeting was attended by directors of all IITs.

As per the new formula, All India Engineering Entrance Examination and and IIT-Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) will be combined in a common entrance test.

The association said that the new formula was contrary to the objectives set out by the ministry and "prejudicial to the interests of the present students of Class 12 and from rural India where school education is in a shambles." The association said that it will wait for the decision of the senates.

"We will follow up with the senates on the question of 20 percentile and 2013 to be the beginning year," said the statement. "We want status quo till 2013 and in the meantime we expect deliberations to meet the diverse objectives of the HRD ministry, the IITs and other stake holders," it added.