IIT Kanpur revolts, to hold separate entrance exam
In a clear revolt against the human resource development ministry's movefor a common entrance test, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-KanpurFriday decided to hold its own entrance test from 2013.
Upsetwith the ministry's decision to merge IIT Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE) withthe All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), the 210-member senateof IIT-Kanpur passed a resolution rejecting the new format.
"Therecent IIT Council proposal on admissions to IITs is academically andmethodically unsound and in violation of the Institutes of Technology Act(1961) and IIT Kanpur Ordinances (Ordinance 3.2 (Admissions)," said theresolution.
"Inview of the Senate resolution adopted in its 2011-12/9th meeting held on April10, 2012, invoking Ordinance 3.2, the Senate resolves that IIT Kanpur willconduct the entrance examination for admissions to its undergraduate programmesin 2013."
It authorised its chairman to constitute a committee withthe help of the dean of academic affairs for conducting "JEE 2013 by IITKanpur".
IITKanpur had raised a voice of dissent earlier as well at the meeting of the HRDministry when the new pattern of exam was decided upon.
Accordingto those present at the meeting, except IIT-Delhi and IIT-Madras, none of theIITs agreed with the new format.
Theprofessors, alumni and those close to the IITs fear the new format will"dilute" the IITs.
IITshave been holding a joint entrance exam. However, the new format combines itwith the entrance exam for the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and theIndian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). It also includes aweightage of percentage from Class 12 board exams for entrance into IITs.