No Changes In JEE Admission Format: Pallam Raju

The HRD Minister, M M Pallam Raju rejected the demands for revising the new format for admission to IITs and centrally funded institutions through JEE entrance exam. After rejecting he said that the new system in in the larger system of the students community and would be held from the next academic year as scheduled.

The IIT Delhi, Alumni Association has met the new HRD Minister, Pallam Rahu, asked him to review the decision for including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) under the purview of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

Raju said, "I reviewed the proposal after the Alumni Association met with me and realised it was in the interest of the students. It would be unfair me to question the decision and we stand to implement it JEE in 2013,"

Initially, IIT Alumni and faculty associations has opposed the Joint Admission test right from the beginning on the ground that it would alter the standard of the institutions and have even met the Prime Minister on this issue. A delegation of the IIT Delhi Alumni Association had met Raju on Nov 16 seeking his intervention in reviewing the proposal. The minister has assured them he would study the proposal and get back to them within a week.

"I have examined the issue. It is a good system and we will stick to it. There may be initial hiccups but it will streamline eventually," he said.

According to the Ramasami Committee report which suggested a common national examination with weightage to state board results normalised on the basis of percentile formula for admission to engineering institutions, the joint engineering has, however, been stiffly opposed by the IITs and after lot of deliberations managed to have an additional exam for selection to the IITs.

The JEE for admission to the undergraduate engineering programme would be conducted in two parts: JEE Main and JEE Advanced examination will be held after the JEE main. Only 1.5 lakh students in JEE Main will be qualified for the JEE Advanced exam

Admissions to the IITs will be based on the All India Rank in JEE Advanced subject to the condition that such candidates are in top 20 percentile of successful candidate of their boards in applicable categories. The Admission to NITs will be based on 40% weightage for Class 12 marks and 60% weightage for the JEE Main marks.

The HRD ministry has also decided not to grant any extension to states to fully roll out the provisions of the Right to Education Act (RTE). The deadline for full implementation of the Act ends on March 2013.