Nationwide CET for admission to engineering courses put off

Auniform entrance test for admission to engineering courses at the national level on the lines of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses has been put off due to negative response from several states.

The proposal for the uniform entrance test was mooted two years ago and since then the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had been trying to sell the idea hard. However, several states have expressed their reservation over shelving the present system of multiple entrance examinations.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday, AICTE Chairman Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe said that several states were reluctant to switch over to the new system since state syllabus now being taught at engineering colleges and they would have to shift to the central syllabus in case of a uniform entrance test.

The chairman stated that there were states which were admitting students to engineering courses just based on marks secured in Class 12 exams.

“There should be one common entrance test held at least twice or thrice a year. This will help students from poor background as they do not have to travel to multiple cities to appear for different tests,” he said. But he said that as education was on the Concurrent List, there was a need for to have state governments on board to implement this idea.

He said that AICTE would engage states in a dialogue over the proposal. However, he opined that a national-level uniform entrance test would serve the interest of
students.