IIT Kanpur rejects Sibal's JEE, to conduct own exam in 2013

In a clear revolt against the human resource development ministry’s move for a common entrance test, the Indian Institute of Technology (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.

“The recent IIT Council proposal on admissions to IITs is academically and methodically unsound and in violation of the Institutes of Technology Act (1961) and IIT Kanpur Ordinances (Ordinance 3.2 (Admissions),” said the resolution.

“In view of the Senate resolution adopted in its 2011-12/9th meeting held on April 10, 2012, invoking Ordinance 3.2, the Senate resolves that IIT Kanpur will conduct the entrance examination for admissions to its undergraduate programmes in 2013.”

It authorised its chairman to constitute a committee with the help of the dean of academic affairs for conducting “JEE 2013 by IIT Kanpur”.

IIT Kanpur had raised a voice of dissent earlier as well at the meeting of the HRD ministry when the new pattern of exam was decided upon. The students of IIT Kanpur have strongly condemned the recently announced changes to the selection procedure to the IITs.

According to those present at the meeting, except IIT-Delhi and IIT-Madras, none of the IITs agreed with the new format.

The professors, alumni and those close to the IITs fear the new format will “dilute” the IITs.

IITs have been holding a joint entrance exam. However, the new format combines it with the entrance exam for the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). It also includes a weightage of percentage from Class 12 board exams for entrance into IITs.

Sibal had claimed that 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.

He had maintained that he had categorically stated at the IIT council meeting that if “there is a single dissent” he will not go ahead with the proposal.

“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.

Last month, Sibal had announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under new a format of common entrance test which will also take plus two board results into consideration.

Agencies