The Council of the Indian Institutes of Technology on Monday rejected the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s proposal to reform the Joint Entrance Examination programme and terminate the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced).
The JEE (Advanced) is a test to secure admission to the coveted IITs and is considered one of the most competitive examinations in India. The council concluded that the IIT system and the JEE had been transformed into an effective brand that should not be altered, The Economic Times reported.
The decision was made at a meeting of the council under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.
The ministry released a statement after its meeting declaring that there would be no change in the entrance examination system. The ministry reportedly complied with the council’s view as it wants policy change to be driven by the institutes.
On August 8, The Print had reported that the ministry had supported a proposal to terminate the JEE Advanced and minimise the influence of coaching centres.
“It is not feasible to scrap JEE Advanced at this stage,” The Print quoted an unidentified council member as saying. “The proposal was taken up in the council but unanimously rejected by all members. Rather than taking such radical decisions, we want to focus on improving the pattern of questions.”
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