V-Cs against common test

Each central university should be allowed to decide how to admit its students, a panel of Vice Chancellors of central universities tasked with examining the possibility of a common entrance test has told the government.

Each central university should be allowed to decide how to admit its students, a panel of Vice Chancellors of central universities tasked with examining the possibility of a common entrance test has told the government.

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The panel’s recommendations will be discussed at a meeting between HRD minister Kapil Sibal and 40 central university VCs on Wednesday. The HRD ministry under Kapil Sibal is keen to scrap multiple entrance examinations conducted by different institutions and replace them by a single, common admission test.

The panel headed by Jawaharlal Nehru University V-C B.B. Bhattacharya was set up in March this year to study the possibility of a common entrance test and credit transfers to allow students to simultaneously pursue different courses at different varsities. A common entrance test will eliminate the pressure of appearing for multiple entrance tests, the HRD ministry is arguing.

In its report to the HRD ministry, the panel has started by accepting that a common entrance test is needed. But it has then demanded that each institution should be allowed to decide how to admit its students — which if accepted could effectively kill the aim behind a common test — panel sources have revealed to HT.

“The minister’s idea of a common entrance test is good but individual institutions must have the autonomy to decide how to admit students — that was the outcome of the panel’s deliberations,” a V-C said. But, HRD ministry sources said they were confident that they could convince V-Cs to accept a idea.

The common test could be used as a screening tool — instead of as an admission test — like UGC’s National Eligibility Test for teachers, panel has said.

The Bhattacharya panel’s report comes close on the heels of directors of the IITs rejecting a proposal to scrap Joint Entrance Examination and replace it by an aptitude test. The panel has also suggested that universities sign MoUs to facilitate credit transfer of students.

A number of other key reform proposals for central universities have been accepted by different panels of V-Cs.