Central varsities may go for common entrance test in Sep
PremiumThe test may also be held at the end of August if the covid situation improves in the country
All central universities are likely to conduct a single entrance examination by September to select students.
A common entrance examination will have three key benefits. With school boards cancelled, there will be at least one key evaluation step before students enter the higher education space. The new entrance examination will judge the aptitude and domain knowledge beyond multiple choice type of evaluation. It will allow universities to draw students from a common pool based on merit, at least two government officials said requesting anonymity.
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“The single entrance examination is likely to take place between the last week of August and early September. All central universities coming together for a common admission system is good for the varsities and students. We are finalizing the finer details," said one of the two government officials mentioned above.
“Early September is when there is a broad consensus. However, if the situation improves, the end of August is also a good time. An entrance examination in the second half of August will also do good to the admission season and will not delay much the academic year that has already been delayed because of the covid-19 pandemic," said the second person, a senior administrator of a central university, also requesting anonymity.
The school board examinations could not be held because of the pandemic, but a single common entrance examination for varsities will bring in some amount of centralized testing and evaluation system, said the second person mentioned above.
“We all understand that the second wave was very harsh and stopped many examinations, but with the situation improving entrance examinations should take place to benefit students, institutions and the value of evaluation system. How, when, online or offline are issues that can be easily sorted out once there is government backing for this," the second official added.
A government panel of vice-chancellors had submitted its report in April, supporting a common entrance examination for undergraduate courses and a similar process for postgraduate courses at the more than 40 central universities.
According to the recommendations, central universities were to admit students by giving 50% weightage to the performance in school board exams, and the rest in a national entrance to be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). For ironing out the qualitative issues related to different school boards, the NTA was supposed to rationalize the state school boards marks, the government panels had recommended. To broad-base the testing outcome, it had suggested that the national entrance will test domain knowledge as well as common aptitude, verbal ability and quantitative reasoning.
Phone calls and a text message to the NTA director general, who is also the additional secretary in charge of central universities at the Union education ministry, remained unanswered.
“A common entrance test will depend on what the government decides. I believe they are reviewing the recommendations and the current situation," said R. P. Tiwari, vice-chancellor of the Central University of Punjab. “If it happens, it must evaluate the domain knowledge and aptitude of candidates," he said.
The first government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the common admission system was facing a twin challenge—pandemic and gathering at physical centres even for a computer-based test.
“But the situation at covid-19 front has improved, exams can be conducted in a controlled atmosphere. August-end, September is still some time away. Hopefully, a decision will be arrived soon," said the official.
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