All state edu minters to discuss single entrance test

NEW DELHI: Education Ministers of states will meet here on Wednesday to decide on the Centre’s move to hold a single entrance test for admissions to under graduate science and engineering programmes across the country. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal says 11 education boards in the country have unanimously supported the move and the government now intends to seek the views of other boards in this regard. “The states have to come onboard now. We are going to have a meeting of the CABE committee; state education ministers...all these will be put before the CABE committee. We want to have a fi rm resolution at that level before we actually hold the exam,” he said. “We are attempting to do that. I can tell you for example there was a meeting of Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE) yesterday. 11 boards came for this meeting of COBSE and all 11 boards unanimously supported this,” he said. He was responding to a question whether the single entrance test would come into force by 2013 as planned. Sibal said the government intends to write to other boards in the country asking them to give their views and explain whether they have any problem with regard to conduct of the single test. The proposed entrance test, Indian Science - Engineering Eligibility Test (ISEET), is likely to be conducted in April or May next year and will have two parts -- ISEET main and ISEET advance. He said the main issue of bringing about equalisation of the Class XII marks across the boards has been sorted out by a formula designed by the Indian Statistical Institute that would give “more representation” to states in the IIT system. Sibal’s comments come ahead of his crucial meeting with State Education Ministers here tomorrow during which the issue would be discussed thread-bare. Sibal said he did not want to convey any misgivings especially on the issue of equalising various results of the state board exams. The formula that has been derived by Indian Statistical Institute has taken into account the results of the last fi ve years and has come out with specifi c fi gures. “We are willing to make a presentation. COBSE is fully agreeable,” he said. When pointed out that some southern states are not agreeable to the test, he said: “Who are saying they are averse? At the CABE committee there was unanimity. People have to be persuaded how the equalisation is taking place. In fact, this would give more representation to states in the IIT system.”