HRD Ministry softens stance on the new CET
The controversy over the new Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to all centrally-funded engineering colleges seemed to be going nowhere. IITs were stuck on stalling the new common exam while the HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had put all his weight behind his pet project. Now, after the All India Faculty Federation (AIFF) of the IITs met the Prime Minister, who assured them that the autonomy of the institutions will be upheld, the HRD Ministry has decided to soften its stance. Read more
It is believed that the IITs will now conduct their own Advance Test, which will not be conducted on the same day as the Main Test. Since the IITs were not convinced about the fairness of using Class XII board marks in the admission process, they may be allowed to skip them in their ranking process altogether.
Meanwhile, the opposition to the new CET is becoming stronger. NITs have joined IITs in opposing the exam. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Member of Parliament from Congress in Rajya Sabha, questioned the need for implementing the proposal in such a hurry. He stated that while the intention behind the new test was commendable, there is no reason to bring about the change in a hurry and escalate it to a legal waltz with the IITs. See details
