Dear Students,
LAST WEEK WE ASKED: Do you think IITs are justified in their reaction to MHRD's formal proposal to reform IIT-JEE examination?
BEST RESPONSE
The mixed reactions of the IITs to MHRD's proposal only reflects their doubt in the move's effectuality to enable them ascertain the best brains of the country. However, considering that a single entrance examination will reduce the stress level of students along with ensuring transparency and fairness, all IITs except Kanpur have pitched in favour of the decision. The division of the test into JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced will help them preserve their conventional style of testing. Lastly, given the impact the new pattern bears upon the educational system and its stakeholders, the extension sought on its incorporation is definitely justified.
-- Vilsha Bhatia, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai
OTHER RESPONSES
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It is not the quality of student but of the teacher which is the most important aspect for any college. Thus, worrying about the degradation in the quality of students due to universal examination does not make any sense. Institutions quality needs to be judged by not the quality of student who is entering but by the quality of the student leaving the college. If teachers will continue to give their best, the methodology of selection will not be relevant in long run.
-- Sakshi Misra, Amity University
When being pushed to the wall, one needs to respond and it is a high time that IITs have raised their voices to save the excellence being merged with mediocrity. The IITs stand out as a name in education worldwide and government has already stained it with its reservation creeping in to it. Now in the name of reducing peer pressure & making coaching giants bow down, the step it has taken has snatched the little bit autonomy the IITs were having with them and this could prove fatal for all educating masses of IITs in long term.
-- Anurag Srivastava, Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)
MHRD's decision for a Common Entrance Test (CET) is a decision after consulting the IIT council and is also favorable among parents and students. Though majority of the IIT were agreed during the IIT council meet but expressed their disinterest after IIT- K threw the first bombshell. It is clear that the unanimous decision made by the MHRD and IIT council would have missed out certain factors for consideration. Eventually, things will be resolved by reframing the rules as IITs reaction seems to be chaotic.
-- R Geethanjali Janani, Saveetha Management School (SMS), Chennai
Envisioned as autonomous bodies which will train the students and make great researchers and scientists out of them, IITs must have the highest degree of independence in the selection procedures. The idea of including the marks of 12th boards was imprudent considering the heterogeneous nature of the different state boards. A single examination will only pressurise students as they have to perform well on that particular day or drop a year. The unison among IITs in opposing the implementation of this plan is totally justified as all these factors repel true talent and fail the entire vision behind the IITs.
-- Sourav Panda, Khallikote Autonomous College, Odisha
IITs are justified in their reactions, as we have entered in the world of customisation, everything need to be customised as per the need. Education needs to be customised as per the requirements across the states and IITs should not be interfered in their process. By making reservation necessary in the IITs, the damage has already been done, as it snaps the seat from deserving to undeserved, IITs, across states, should be allowed to run autonomously in their journey to enter into the elite club of top 50, worldwide, as is the case in foreign countries.
-- Vikas Kesarwani, Shri Ram Murthi Smarak International Business School
In India with mammoth disparity in school education in urban and rural area as well as private and government institution this has been one of the exam which has stood the test of time. The MHRD's move seems to be a discouragement for students from the under privileged section and from the rural area. The need is to first work at grass root level and improve the school system as reform can never succeed if it starts from the top. The proposed change will dilute the excellence, quality and it will have long term damage to IIT brand.
-- Nilaya Mitash Shanker, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee.
IITs are justified in their reaction as the proposal combined engineering entrance exam implies dilution of brand IIT. Until now it was the intractable IIT-JEE paper that limited the admission to those only with finest intellect which used to assess the analytical skills as well as the applied knowledge of the scholar. This will bring a perceptible difference in the calibre of pupils being selected now. The hypothesis of abating stress by having a single entrance exam is baseless. Instead a more veritable solution lies in augmenting the multitude of quality institutes if not pro-rata to IIT, but somewhat analogous to them.
-- Shivam Chhabra, Integral University, Lucknow
The proposal to reform IIT-JEE examination diminishes the autonomy of the IITs. The brand value and the strong appeal of IITs is propelled by the excellent results that the IITs have delivered in the past. These results are attributed due to the autonomy and the freedom granted to the IITs to conduct IIT-JEE exam through its own guidelines and pattern. The IITs are justified as reforms will dilute the autonomy and relegate the excellence of the IITs.
-- Akshay Chadha, NSIT, Delhi
They are fully justified in their reaction. Autonomy of our prestigious institutions must be maintained. Selection process of suitable candidates is a very crucial part of IIT machinery which drives the high quality standard of IITians. In fact it is the very foundation of the whole machinery. Any decision for reform in selection process must be taken only after due consultation with all the IITs and their full agreement to the change being brought in. Otherwise, it will be undermining the autonomy of IITs, which is sure to adversely affect the quality of our prestigious IITs.
-- Shantinath Chaudhary, LNCT, Bhopal
MHRD's formal proposal of a single entrance test doesn’t seem practical. The question pattern of JEE exam is modelled such that aspirants apply their logic to solve the problem while the other engineering exams are more of a speed test based on rote learning. IITs being the premier institutes representing the country should have their autonomy of selection of candidates.
-- Prateek Parimal, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA)
The proposal being sent by the HRD Ministry seems to be concerned more with the vote banks from the poor rather than establishing a fair mode of entrance examination for the students at large. The single examination will lead to lots of unfavorable conditions such as erosion of an autonomy of IITs, lots of students lives will be spoiled, impact on the quality of the education. Further, this particular step of one examination will lead to money making for coaching centres.
-- Poonam Binaykiya, FPSB India.
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