Admission criteria for NITs relaxed in view of pandemic

NEW DELHI: Candidates seeking entry to National Institutes of Technology and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutes will be ranked solely on their performance in the upcoming JEE (Main) exam, the HRD ministry said on Thursday, doing away with the criterion of minimum 75% marks in Class 12 exams.

NEW DELHI: Candidates seeking entry to National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) will be ranked solely on their performance in the upcoming JEE (Main) exam, the human resource development ministry announced, doing away with the admission criterion of minimum 75% marks in Class 12 school-leaving exams.

“Due to prevailing circumstances, Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) has decided to relax the eligibility criterion for admissions to NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions,” HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ tweeted.

The coronavirus disease pandemic has affected the academic schedule. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and several state boards could not hold all exams for Class 12 and granted marks based on previous performances. CSAB’s decision to relax the 75% marks rule came against this backdrop and amid a demand for the same by a large section of students.

“JEE [Joint Entrance Examination] Main 2020 qualified candidates will now only need to obtain a passing certificate in class XII examination irrespective of the marks obtained,” the HRD minister posted on Twitter.

For admissions to CFTIs, the eligibility was to secure a minimum of 75% marks or rank among the top 20 percentile in the Class 12 board exams, apart from qualifying the JEE-Main.