Starting 2013, a joint entrance examination will be held for admission into the central funded engineering institutions such as Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technolgy (NITs) and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs). The joint councils of these institutes today decided to have a single national entrance test for their engineering colleges.
As part of reform in the education system, for the first time, the class XII examinations will count towards entrance. The proposed reform attempts to bring focus back to the schooling system by giving weightage to performance in class 12th board examinations on percentile basis.
Informing this at a press conference in New Delhi, Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal said a joint entrance examination (JEE) for admission to the undergraduate programmes in engineering would be conducted in two parts, JEE main and JEE advanced. He said there will be 50 per cent weightage to the class 12th examinations and the rest of the 50 per cent to the main test. He said for all other centrally funded institutions apart from IIT, 40 per cent weightage for class 12th examination, 30 per cent weightage for performance in JEE-main and 30 per cent weightage in JEE advanced would be given.
The minister informed that the proposed changes will be effective from 2013. The minister said the reform would, in the longer term, have an impact on the quality of secondary education and enable better quality access.
The minister also said those students who have appeared in the 12th board examinations in 2012 and wish to improve upon their performance can appear again for the board examinations in 2013. Mr Sibal informed that a meeting of the state education ministers' is proposed for 5th of next month where the participation of states in the common national test process would be deliberated upon.
Mr Sibal informed that two day international policy dialogue forum on teachers for education for all will begin tomorrow in New Delhi. The minister said it will be co-organized by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education for All (EFA) and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The minister said the meet will focus specifically on Teacher Challenges for Education for All in India and will provide a platform for discussion on inclusive education and public-private partnerships to address the issue. Mr Sibal said the government has earmarked 6,300 crore rupees for teacher education mission in the 12th plan.
