The government has recently forwarded proposals in a move to improvise the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced. But ideas on the tables mooted by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Council meeting to reform and scrap JEE Advanced; have been unanimously rejected by the IITs. The institute will continue to offer the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) programmes, and there will further be no change in the way the JEE Advanced is conducted. JEE Advanced regulates admission to all IITs and is also considered as one of the toughest entrance exams in the country. IIT Students Develop Inflatable Helmets That Can Reduce Injuries Caused in Terrific Accidents. 

According to the HRD Ministry, in order to reduce the inadequate number of students qualifying in the engineering entrance exam. First, the government proposed to scrap JEE Advanced, doing away with the flagship BTech courses at IITs and converting the institute into the high end that offers postgraduate education and a specific semester of teaching to near 80,000 students a year, instead of current above 10,000. Secondly, to create a 5-member panel which will be responsible for discussing and resolving issues such as the dipping of a number of students year after year qualifying the JEE Advanced. The IIT Council is headed by the HRD Minister of India, Prakash Javadekar. The Ministry settled with the IIT view as it felt any changes must be driven by the institutions and the when they feel the need.

The Economic Times reported that IITs argued that a change had already been introduced to the JEE system; which is going online. Members were of the view that IIT system and the JEE had been built into a formidable brand and any tampering with it was not desirable as the current format has been running smoothly. They recommended that improvement in questions could be attempted rather than such radical reforms. On the other hand, the IIT council had agreed to relax fee for international students—a key demand put forward by the IITs. The current amount stands at Rs. 6 lakh per annum and is viewed as steep by many.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2018 05:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).