Kapil Sibal to meet IIT Council on new JEE format

New Delhi: Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday called a special meeting of IIT Council on June 27 to discuss the impasse over the new entrance exam format. In a press release, Sibal said, "The uncertainty faced by the student community, consequent to the resolutions of the Senates of IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi, requires to be addressed. Consequently, a special meeting of the IIT Council is being convened on 27.6.2012."

IIT-Delhi on Thursday rejected government's single entrance test proposal and decided to conduct separate test. The IIT-Delhi Senate officials said the institute will conduct the exam in association with IIT-Kanpur, which is also against the new format.

Sibal on Wednesday had told CNN-IBN that the new joint entrance exam will start in 2013. Sibal had made it clear that there is no going back on the new entrance test format for all the engineering institutes including the IITs.

Kapil Sibal called the meeting after IIT-Delhi and IIT-Kanpur rejected the new entrance format and decided to conduct separate tests.

In an interview with CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose, he defended the new format saying it would help improve the declining school standards and will also help more girl students get into the IITs considering they do well in Class 12 boards.

The trouble began after the HRD Ministry decided to go ahead and implement the new JEE format starting next year. The IITs objected to the decision saying the ministry took the decision without taking their concerns into account, primarily the inclsuion of Class 12 board results for admission. The IITs themsleves have been split over the HRD decision.

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