BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Wednesday decided that a second Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) will be held every year for admission into seats falling vacant in private technical institutions.The Skill Development and Technical Education Department, in its order to Chairman of OJEE Committee, instructed that the entrance be held during June-July period. The centres for the test would cover all the districts.
The second (or special) OJEE will be meant for admission into first year B Tech, lateral entry, MBA and MCA programmes. The schedule will be announced by the OJEE body.The decision to institutionalise the second OJEE came after the second such entrances were held for four consecutive years from 2014 following the orders of the Orissa High Court as private engineering colleges approached the HC to deal with rising vacancies.
Last year, the HC observed that the State Government could look at a practical solution to the issue following which the matter was placed before the Policy Planning Body which referred it to the Government.Last year, only about 12,000 seats were filled in the engineering colleges of the State. During 2016-17 academic year, according to AICTE data, admission to about 13,000 seats had taken place out of 40,000 seats in 85 private engineering colleges of the State.
After examining the HC order and Odisha Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fees) Amendment Act, 2016, the Government decided in favour of making the special JEE an annual feature. “It would provide an opportunity to the students of interior and rural areas who fail to appear in JEE (Main) conducted by CBSE,” the order said. Currently, the Odisha Government takes the JEE (Main) route for admission into engineering colleges. Students who get ranks based on their merit in the JEE (Main) test appear in a counselling for admission.
Interestingly, the special OJEE will also mean that the State will have two different entrance tests for admission. Earlier, the special OJEE used to be held during July which made it difficult for the OJEE body to conduct the entrance across the districts. However, its regularisation will ensure that it can now be held across the districts and guarantee more appearances.Students who have already appeared in JEE (Main) will also be allowed to appear for the second OJEE because, at present, there is no such clause to debar them.
Test to cover all districts
● The entrance will be held during June-July period.
● The centres for the test would cover all the districts.
● The special OJEE will mean that the State will have two different entrance tests for admission.
● Students who have already appeared in JEE (Main) will also be allowed to appear for the second OJEE.