IIT council proposes common entrance test

Union Minister for Human Resource and Development Kapil Sibal said on Wednesday that the Indian Institute of Technology Council has proposed that students seeking admission into IITs all over the country will have to pass just one test instead of appearing in separate tests for various institutes.

However, the HRD minister added that the concurrence of the Central Advisory Board of Education and state education ministers would be sought before implementing the proposals.

"Indian Institute of Statistical Studies will help in regrading the results of all the 12th board exams; thereafter, the students would have to undergo just one test and on the basis of their performance in two exams the students would be given admission," he told journalists at the end of his marathon meeting with the directors of various IITs in New Delhi.

"The Indian Institutes of Technology have to emerge as institutions of global excellence to take India forward to the next generation of technology leadership of the world," Kapil Sibal said while addressing the meeting.

There would be no change in the admission fee which will continue to remain Rs 50,000. While the students of Scheduled caste, Scheduled Tribes and OBC's will be exempted, rest of them students will have to pay Rs 1.50 lakhs in installments once they pick up jobs, he said.

"A demat certificate would be issued to each student and when he takes up a job his employer will deduct the money on monthly basis and reimburse it to the government. If the student goes in for M Tech or faculty he would pay the difference once he picks up employment. We will implement the scheme from 2013 subject to approval by the finance ministry and the state education ministers", he said.

Sibal said that the IIT wants administrative and financial autonomy. But they will have to be made accountable. Those who can afford can take loan from the banks to pay Rs 2 lakh for admission.

"Right now we have 4,000 PhD graduates and we want to raise their strength to 16,000 by 2020. And increase it further by 2030," he added.

He highlighted his plan to take students from the villages to involve the youth from rural background in taking part in the field of science and technology.