Engineering common admission test will hit rural students: Super 30 founder, Anand Kumar

The move of the joint councils of IITs, NITs & IIITs to hold a CAE would make it more difficult for students, especially those from rural areas.

By PTI | Updated: May 29, 2012, 08.27 PM IST

PATNA: The move of the joint councils of IITs, NITs and IIITs to hold a common admission examination would make it more difficult for students, especially those from rural areas where school infrastructure is poor, Super 30 founder Anand Kumar said on Tuesday.

"If there can be one test for more competitive AIIMS examination, which has fewer seats and more candidates, and IIMs, why can't there be so similar test for IITs," Kumar told PTI.

"The process being adopted is more cumbersome and it will only add more pressure on the students,'' he said.

Anand said the move to implement the common admission examination from 2013 would create confusion among the current batch of students. ''If at all the new system is to be implemented, it should be at least from 2014 so that the students could have enough time to adjust. After all the changes are for the students."

Maintaining that there was uncertainty still about the mechanism of the proposed two-tier test, he said if JEE-Mains and JEE-Advanced were held the same day it would be psychologically draining for the students.

"More thought needs to be given to the proposed changes before implementing them," he added.

The proposed reform to bring focus back to the schooling system by giving weightage to performance in Class XII Board examinations normalized on percentile basis would also be a serious challenge, as there is huge gulf between schools of the CBSE and ICSE boards and those under state boards.

The formula to be adopted for percentile calculation is also not clear, as all state boards have different yardsticks, he added.

Anand said the present system would make students more dependent on coaching, as they would require it for three different examinations - one for the proposed JEE-Main, another for the proposed JEE-Advanced, which will also have aptitude test and third for scoring high marks in the plus two examinations.

"Students from rural areas who don't the advantage of quality schooling would miss out from JEE-advanced for no fault of theirs," he said adding there was need to develop faith in the school system for ensuring better secondary education.

"Infact the proposed mechanism may work as a deterrent for the rural students dreaming to get into IITs."

It would have been appropriate to make a joint admission board comprising IITs, NITs and CBSE for paper setting, evaluation and preparation of the merit list. The IIT council should first arrive at a definite decision and give adequate time to students for transition, he added.

Anand Kumar's Super 30, set up a decade ago, has been lauded by Time magazine as the best in Asia. The institute provides free residential coaching to 30 meritorious students from the underprivileged sections of the society and so far 263 students have made it to the IITs.

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