Single entrance test for engineering from ’18

Admission to engineering colleges across India will be done through a single entrance examination from next year with the AICTE approving a regulation in this regard, sources said.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Tuesday approved a comprehensive package, including the single national test, for improving engineering education.

The AICTE, which is the statutory body and a national-level council for technical education, also directed institutes to go for induction courses, yearly revision of curriculum and teacher training through SWAYAM platform, said a source, adding that ₹250 crore will be spent to implement the package.

The Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) is a programme developed by the government to take the best teaching learning resources to all by bridging the digital divide.

Once implemented, the single entrance test will do away with the practice of multiple entrance examinations conducted by central agencies, state governments and private institutions.

“The AICTE has come up with the regulation following a directive by HRD minister Prakash Javadekar. It will now be sent to the ministry for an approval. After that, a gazette notification will be issued,” said a source.

According to officials, the single test for engineering, as well as architecture courses, will be along the lines of the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET), a single, all-India test for entry to medical and dental colleges launched in 2016.

However, students seeking admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will have to clear the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced after taking the engineering entrance exam.

“The AICTE has been advised to ensure that the examination process is standardised, keeping in view the country’s linguistic diversity. The test will also be conducted multiple times every year,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.

Regulations have been issued under the AICTE Act making it mandatory for every state to follow it. Sources said in case a state refuses to adhere to it, it will lose AICTE approval.

“The aim is to make the process more transparent, standardised, and free of corruption and commercialisation,” a government official said, referring to allegations that some private institutions charge exorbitant capitation fee from students.

India has more than 3,300 approved engineering colleges affiliated to universities, with an annual intake of an estimated 1.6 million students. But only about half of the seats are filled.

The current admission process at the graduation level is dependent on performance in entrance examinations conducted by various agencies.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the JEE-Main for the Centrefunded institutions.

THE SINGLE TEST WILL BE ALONG THE LINES OF NEET, AN ALLINDIA TEST LAUNCHED IN 2016 FOR ENTRY TO MEDICAL AND DENTAL COLLEGES