AIEEE may go online from 2011

AIEEE on the lines of CAT 2009 may have on-line test option from 2011. Students aspiring to appear in All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) may get an added option of writing the test on-line from 2011. The NIT Council, the apex body for taking a decision on the issues of NITs, set up a committee to explore the possibility of holding the test on-line in addition to the regular pen and paper system.

At present, over 10 lakh students are appearing in the AIEEE every year. The Committee consisting of the Directors of NITs of Allahabad, Calicut and Agartala will submit its report by January next year, the HRD Ministry said.The committee will also look into the structure of the entrance exam and consider if weightage could be given to class XII Exam results for selection of students in the merit list. At present, merit list is prepared on the basis of performance of students in the entrance. Similar procedure is also being explored for the IIT Joint Entrance Examination. The idea behind giving more weightage to Class-XII results is aimed at shifting the students' orientation to study of school subjects than going to coaching centres for training for the entrance.

The directors of NITs felt that the training provided by the coaching institutes was skewing the pattern of entrants into the NITs. A separate committee was also constituted to review the curriculum and suggest if changes are required. The committee, consisting of the directors of NITs of Thrichy, Surathkal and Warrangal, will examine needs of the country, industry and the market and also design the curriculum looking at future needs of the country.It will also interact with industry bodies to know their requirements so that the students have the best possible job prospects. The 20 NITs will prepare their vision document outlining the roadmap for expansion with quality. The vision plan will state how they could build their brand image to attract talent from within the country and abroad.

Courtesy: Zee News Economic Times