AIEEE to Get Revamped

The All India Engineering Entrance Examinations (AIEEE) get students admission into the top National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Now a committee consisting of three NIT Directors has been created to look into the way the exam is conducted and at the possibility of making the AIEEE test an online one in addition to the regular pen and paper test being conducted by the CBSE at the moment.

The committee will submit its report in January 2010. Some of the points under consideration are — the structure of the present exam and the question of whether weightage could be given to the Class XII results. Most directors were of the view that the proliferation of coaching institutes was skewing the pattern of entrants into the NITs. Another factor to be looked at was the number of vacant seats. The committee would also consider whether the courses were market-friendly or not and could suggest alternate programmes.

A decision to constitute another committee to look into the curriculum was also mooted. This would comprise the directors of the NITs of Trichy, Surathkal and Warangal who would probably assess the present curriculum vis-à-vis the current needs of the industry and redesign it with an eye on the future needs of the country. On the cards is also an interaction with industry organisations to know their requirements so that students have the best possible job prospects.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal also asked all the 20 NITs to give a vision statement which could also include whether they would like to set up campuses abroad.

In another development, the HRD Ministry is thinking about introducing the Engineers Bill, 2009, that requires obligatory registration /certification of professional engineers to streamline the quality of engineers in the country.

This would then help set some quality standards as “there are many engineering colleges which fail to deliver quality engineers from their institutions,” said an official.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle