The Center is working towards conducting a single entrance exam at the national level for filling up engineering seats in all states, just like conducting 'NEET' for filling up MBBS seats across the country. The Union Ministry of Education has already sent the draft copy to all the states. It is learned that majority of the states have approved this proposal. With this, the center is organizing seminars to create awareness on this issue.
CUET as an example:
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) experiment was also successful for the filling up of degree and PG seats in central universities. With this, the center has focused on the joint entrance examination of engineering at the national level. For the past few years, the Center has been conducting the JEE Main exam for admissions to engineering courses in the IITs, NITs, IIITs and Central Government-funded technical educational institutions of the country.
If the common engineering entrance exam is implemented, there will be no state level entrance exams like TS EAMCET, AP EAPCET, TNCET, KCET etc.
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JEE Advanced exam is conducted for the students who qualify in JEE Main for admissions in IITs. Similarly, in 2016, it was thought to conduct joint entrance examination and counseling by including state engineering colleges. But it did not materialize due to various reasons.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met the directors and governing body chairmen of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), UGC and IITs in Bhubaneswar on 18th of last month. In this meeting, the joint entrance exam of engineering was discussed.
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However, various arguments were heard regarding the procedures to be followed and the rules to be incorporated. With this, the Union Minister has ordered the chairmen of the IIT Governing Body to examine all aspects and give a comprehensive report with amendments. So they are meeting with all the states and collecting opinions. Sources in the central education department say that they are planning to implement this by 2025-26.
Officials say that after taking a procedural decision, two years time will have to be given to the colleges currently under the states. However, the academicians who participated in the meeting suggested that the quality of IITs should not be reduced at all. UGC Chairman Professor Jagdish Kumar has also said on many occasions in the past that there was a plan to merge the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) along with NEET and JEE Main examinations.
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Affiliation only if rules are followed..
Officials say that if the engineering seat replacement goes to the national level, it will be completely web-based. Proprietorship quota is also filled through counselling. All the affiliated universities have to follow the norms of AICTE. Infrastructural facilities, quality faculty, teaching plan in computer based courses will all go under the central purview.
As a result, some private colleges have to make many changes, said an official. Until now, the university authorities used to conduct inspections. Henceforth, it seems that engineering colleges will get affiliated recognition only if special teams inspect and allow them at the national level. Official sources say that with this policy, bargaining of ownership quota seats will be broken.
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