CHENNAI: In a major modification of the eligibility criteria for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology in India, the IIT Council meet on Monday decided to overturn the controversial ‘top-20 percentile only’ system introduced by the UPA-II government and consider the candidates’ aggregate marks in Class XII examinations also during admission.
The 48th meeting of the Council of the Indian Institutes of Technology, chaired by Union Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani, was held at IIT- Madras, here on Monday.
“In addition to the top-20 percentile condition, it has been decided now to give another provision, which is the marks secured in the board exams,” Ashok Thakur, secretary, Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), said at a media briefing on the deliberations at the meet.
At present, only those students in the top-20 percentile in their Class XII board examination are admitted to the 16 Indian Institutes of Technology across the country.
Also, they must have cleared the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). About 200 students with top scores in the tough JEE could not get into the IITs as they were not in the top-20 percentile league.
Under the new norm, even if a student does not figure in the 20 percentile category, he/she could aspire to get into the IITs provided they meet the minimum marks prescribed by the Council.
“The Council approved the new norm after due deliberations,” Thakur said.
Under the new eligibility norm for admission, OBC and general category candidates should have secured 75 per cent, while those hailing from the SC/ST and disabled sections at least 70 per cent in the Class XII board examination, in addition to clearing the Joint Entrance Exam.
“This norm will bring tremendous relief to students. Now, marks secured formula will be there along with 20-percentile rule,” Thakur said.
Ranking System
Thakur said the heads of the IITs in Chennai and Kanpur had been given the responsibility of preparing a framework for a new India-centric ranking system for institutions of higher learning in the country.
The system, which would initially cover the IITs and Central universities, would later be extended to UGC-funded institutions.
“This ranking system will be India-centric. The parameters will be relevant to India. The IITs will take the lead and devise the framework for Indian institutions. By March 2015, the framework for the ranking system is expected to be completed.”
At present, all IITs have their own alumni associations. Instead, a pan-Indian IIT alumni centre, intended to facilitate interaction between industry and academia and facilitate research, would be set up in Bangalore.
“The concept has been approved by the Council,” Thakur said.