Rejecting criticism and virtually ruling out going back on the new proposal, the Union human resources development minister Kapil Sibal has said the government has no intent to impinge on the autonomy of the Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs).
Defending the decision to have related stories IIT-Kanpur rejects Sibal's one nation one test plan IIT-Kanpur forms admission panel, rest still mulling IIT-Kanpur seeks PM's intervention to settle issue one nationwide common entrance test, which is being opposed by IIT Kanpur among others, Sibal said this has been taken in accordance with the IIT Act passed by the Indian Parliament.
Sibal said this is a unanimous decisions of the IIT Council.
"There is no intent to impact on the IIT system autonomy. The exam that is being contemplated is to be set by the IIT itself," Sibal told reporters in Washington when asked to comment on the controversy back home.
"We have no desire to anyway directly or indirectly. To protect the autonomy of IIT," Sibal said and argued that the decision of the IIT Council is in tune with the international practices.
Sibal is leading a high-powered Indian delegation to co-chair the India-US education dialogue with the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Sibal had on May 28 announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of common entrance test, which will also take the plus-two board results into consideration.
The minister had claimed that it was approved without dissent at a council consisting of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs.
Senate of the IIT-Kanpur has rejected the Centre's 'one-nation one-test' proposal and decided to conduct its own entrance exam from next year.
Sibal said that on his return, he would study the decisions being taken by the IIT Kanpur.
"This has nothing to do with the Government," he said noting that the decision has been taken in accordance with the IIT Act.
This would have no impact on the quality of the education in IITs.
The minister was responding to questions after delivering his speech 'Education: US-India Collaboration' at an event organised jointly by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a prestigious American think-tank based in Washington and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
In his remarks, the minister said India, having a young and dynamic population, is facing enormous challenge in the higher education sector, and in order to provide college education to all the country in the coming years as many as 800 new universities and 40,000 to 50,000 new colleges.
"It is not an easy task. It is a monumental task. But there are enormous opportunities there."
"We need to look at solutions which are out of the box, which are Froogle innovations," Sibal said, adding that how to ensure that enough people go to college is one big challenge.
The country, he said, needs another 800 universities, and between 40,000 to 50,000 colleges, a goal he said is tough to achieve.
Sibal argued that the same quality of education can be provided with the communication revolution taking place.
"I think, globally we have to thank the way we think," he said.
"Time has come for educational institutions to think differently," he added.
Responding to questions, Sibal said not much foreign investment is not coming in the country’s education sector.
This is quite surprising.
"I still can't fathom," he said.
India would be setting about 100 community colleges in India from 2013 with the help of the United States.
IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay are likely to emulate Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur which has decided to hold its own entrance test after rejecting HRD Minister Kapil Sibal's 'one nation, one test' proposal.
A member of the IIT Delhi senate, who did not wish to be named, told IANS that IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay -- possibly other IITs also -- may soon follow IIT Kanpur's example.
"There is a common sentiment, and most IITs are against the new pattern," the member said.
"This was virtually forced on the senates by the IIT council," he said about the common entrance test.
In a clear revolt against the human resource development ministry's move for a common engineering entrance test, IIT Kanpur Friday decided to hold its own entrance test from 2013.
Upset with the ministry's decision to merge IIT Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE) with the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), the 210-member senate of IIT Kanpur passed a resolution rejecting the new format.
Even though there is no official reaction from the HRD ministry, a senior official said the senate could not overrule the IIT council.
IIT Delhi Alumni Association (IITDAA), which has been spearheading the battle against the new format, is set to meet Saturday evening to decide on the future strategy.
"What IIT Kanpur did is the right thing... the senates have been overruled in taking the decision," IITDAA president Somnath Bharti said.
He questioned the government decision, saying it would adversely affect the quality of the IITs.
"The senates need to be given more autonomy. The IITs have to compete with international engineering institutes like the MIT ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology). For the students who cannot afford going to international institutions, IITs are the only option," he said.
"Instead of giving more facilities to the IITs so that they can compete internationally, the government is pulling them down," he said.
IIT Kharagpur, IIT Guwahati, IIT Madras and IIT Roorkie have decided to stand by Kapil Sibal's move to hold common entrance exam for IITs, NITs, IIITs, according to Times Now. The director of IIT Kharagpur told Times Now that the institution does not have any objection with Sibal's move to hold common entrance exam for central engineering institutions.
Earlier, after IIT Kanpur rejected the Centre's 'one-nation one-test' proposal and decided to conduct its own entrance exam from next year, IIT Delhi Alumni Association is pushing IIT Delhi to follow suit.
A decision is expected to be taken next week when the senate of IIT Delhi meet here.
"In all likelihood, IIT Delhi Senate seems to be geared up to follow IIT Kanpur Senate," IIT Delhi alumni president Somnath Bharti told PTI.
At yesterday's meeting, the senate of IIT Kanpur had said the IIT council's recent proposal on admissions is "academically and methodically unsound".
The senate, while deciding to go it alone, had also said the Centre's 'one-nation one-test' proposal was in "violation of the Institutes of Technology Act (1961) and IIT Kanpur Ordinances (Ordinance 3.2 (Admissions)".
HRD minister Kapil Sibal on May 28 had announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of common entrance test, which will also take plus two board results into consideration.
Sibal had claimed it was approved without dissent at the IIT Council meeting and had the backing of the senates of four of the seven Indian Institutes of Technology.
"The council consists of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs. There was not a single dissent. It was unanimously adopted. Therefore, I went forward," the minister had said.
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