‘Allow diploma holders to pursue BArch’

Coimbatore: The council of architecture has shot off a letter to the higher education department under the human resource development ministry, urging it to allow diploma holders in architecture to sit for BArch examinations. The council had earlier made it mandatory for candidates to have 50% marks in physics, chemistry and mathematics to sit for the exams.
In its earlier letter to the higher education department explaining its decision to make physics, chemistry and mathematics marks mandatory, the council had mentioned that candidates who have secured 50% aggregate marks in Plus Two or an equivalent exam with 50% score in physics, chemistry and mathematics would only be eligible for admission to the architecture course.

The ministry, the council said, hadn’t considered the word ‘equivalent’ in its approval letter. As a result, candidates with a diploma in architecture or architectural assistantship, which are equivalent to Plus Two exam by the Centre or state, were dropped from the eligibility criteria. The council said it had received representations from stakeholders saying the move would affect the future of diploma holders in architecture. The council had already submitted a revision to the ministry to allow 10+3 architecture diploma holders with mathematics for BArch admissions.

When contacted, Vijay Garg, president of the council of architecture, said they were awaiting a response from the higher education department. “Architecture diploma holders should also be permitted to study BArch courses since their qualification is equivalent to Plus Two.”

The council said if the Centre deemed it necessary to have physics, chemistry and mathematics for diploma students, they would give institutions which offer three-year diploma in architecture to revise their course curriculum in the proposed line.

Representatives of architecture institutions said it was only logical to allow diploma holders to take up BArch courses, as they had to start from the first year of the course unlike in engineering, where diploma holders get to the second year directly. “As there is no lateral entry in BArch course, diploma students should be allowed to take BArch exams,” said T Giri, head of San Academy of Architecture, Walayar, near the city.