IITs rule out changes in entrance exams

NEW DELHI: There will be no changes to the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) system for admissions to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), the human resource development (HRD) ministry said on Monday. Also, each IIT will be free to fix fee for foreign students, it added.

“(The IIT) council did not consider any further changes in the JEE (Advanced) system,’’ the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had chaired a meeting of the council, highest decision-making body of the IITs.

Officials said it was pointed out that the IITs and the JEE had been built into a major brand and any “tinkering” with the format was undesirable. It was emphasised that focus should be on strengthening the current system. “It was pointed out that no hasty decision should be taken that could undermine the credibility of the IITs and the JEE...,” said an official.

As Hindustan Times reported on August 9, a proposal had sought to do away with the JEE Advanced exam, and allowing students to choose an institute rather than courses.

The council agreed to the proposal of increasing fee for foreign students. The boards of governors of individual IITs have been empowered to decide the fee for international students, which is currently Rs 6 lakh per annum.

Javadekar said IIT-PAL, designed to help students in preparing for the JEE Advanced, would be extended. The council did not accept the ministry’s suggestions to set up an expert panel to make JEE “more scientific”.