CHENNAI: In the continuing uncertainty over the State Government's decision on a Common Entrance Test — the Tamil Nadu Professional Courses Entrance Examination (TNPCEE) — more students from the State are taking the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) in April this year.

The last date for submitting the applications to take the AIEEE is January 14. Enquiries show that over 28,000 students from Tamil Nadu have already registered for the examination, compared to just half that number last year.

Official sources here say that a government decision on the TNPCEE is expected any time now. But nobody is willing to hazard a guess on whether the government will opt for the TNPCEE or dare to scrap it.

Now that Karnataka has also decided to continue with its CET, the authorities are expecting Tamil Nadu to follow suit, keeping in mind the orders of the Supreme Court. But the Government is also conscious of the political campaign to do away with the TNPCEE and conduct admissions on the basis of the Plus Two examination marks. All these will have to be factored while taking a final decision on the TNPCEE, academics explain.

Parents and students alike argue that taking the AIEEE will "widen the horizon and scope" for admissions across the country, more so in the Deemed Universities, which also go by the all-India examination. "There is also the 15 per cent Central pool in admission to all universities and this will be based on the AIEEE scores," reasons R. Jesuraj, who has asked his son to the national CET in April end.

Salem-based analyst Jayaprakash Gandhi says two factors may have contributed to the increasing number of students in the State taking the AIEEE. "The main reason is the climate of uncertainty over the conduct of TNPCEE this year. But because the new syllabus in the State board has been brought on par with the Central Board, more students feel confident they can now perform well in the AIEEE," he explains.

Decision soon

Anna University sources say that Vice-Chancellor D. Viswanathan has already written to the Government and a decision is expected "very soon." Once a decision is taken, the arrangements for the conduct of the TNPCEE will fall into place. "Our view is that a CET is a legal requirement going by the Supreme Court's ruling. So, we are in a state of readiness to proceed with the TNPCEE as usual, once we get the go ahead," adds a senior academic associated with the exercise.

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