JOIN USA joint entrance examination, to be conducted for admissions to centrally-funded technical institutions from 2013, has received a cold response from majority of the states with only five of them so far agreeing to adopt the nation-wide test system.
According to sources in the Human Resource Development Ministry, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal and Goa have so far expressed their willingness to be part of the nation-wide test. “Uttar Pradesh government is also in touch with us. They are discussing the test format with us. We hope that UP government would also adopt the test,” sources said.
However, the states are yet to clarify if they would adopt the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) from 2013 itself.
They have also not taken any decision on the percentage of weightage to be given to class XII board marks for admission to technical institutions under the proposed nation-wide test.
The Gujarat government has agreed to adopt the JEE for admission to all engineering colleges in the state but it has put a condition that the question papers should also be prepared in the state.
“Question papers in regional language can be allowed to provide (them to) engineering aspirants,” ministry sources said.
About two months back at a meeting here, most of the state governments had endorsed the HRD Ministry’s proposal to hold a joint entrance test for admissions to centrally funded institutions but none of them had then confirmed their participation.
The nation-wide test is to be held in two parts—JEE-Main and JEE-Advance. The National Institutes of Technology (NIT), while preparing an all-India merit list, will give 40 per cent weightage to candidates’ Class XII board marks and 60 per cent to their performance in JEE-Main.Only top twenty percentile holders will be eligible for admissions to IITs on the basis of their performance in JEE-Advance.
The Joint Admission Board of the IITs will screen about 1.50 lakh aspirants from JEE-Main to allow them to participate in JEE-Advance, according to decision taken by the IIT council.
Hoping to increase the number of technical institutions other than those centrally funded, according to sources, the the ministry is also trying to get deemed-to-be universities on board.
At a meeting headed by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal here recently, most of the deemed-to-be universities welcomed the proposal of holding the JEE.
They assured the minister that they will take a decision on the extent of weigtage to be given to Class XII board marks of candidates and intimate about the same soon.