The Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) have agreed to pick up a percentage of their students from toppers in the national common entrance test for engineering, to be held from the next academic session.
Currently, IISERs take students who qualify in the IIT-JEE or Kishore Vaigyanic Protsahan Yojana, or those applicants who have high aggregate scores in Class XII examination of CBSE or State Boards.
With the Human Resource Development Ministry deciding to conduct a national common test for central engineering institutions, instead of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology, the best ranking students would be picked up by the five IISERs across the country. The finer details are being worked out.
The common entrance test will cover admissions to 15 IITs, 30 National Institutes of Technology and four Indian Institutes of Information Technology. Weightage will also be given to State Education Board results. The State governments and private institutions can, however, decide whether or not to join the common entrance test regime.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told IISER Directors that to help facilitate awarding degrees to the students, the government was leaving no stone unturned in getting the NIT Amendment Bill, 2007 passed in the budget session of Parliament. The IISERs are yet to be governed by any law that would entitle them to grant a degree to the students, though the first batch has already passed out after completing a five-year integrated course.
