Bengaluru: To make the process of engineering entrance exams in the country easier and more comprehensive by bringing it under the same umbrella, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is likely to propose a common engineering entrance exam across India, similar to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) held for medical and dental courses. While some educationists supported the move, others pointed out that uniformity in facilities and basic education at all engineering colleges should be ensure before implementing a pan-India entrance exam.

Registrar of Visvesvaraya Technological University Dr H.N. Jagannatha Reddy said that such a move will make students take their studies seriously. “Ever since NEET was introduced in 2003, a positive trend in students working on bettering their knowledge in their interested fields has been observed. A similar single entrance for engineering aspirants will add to the quality of students,” he said.





But Dr R. Girisha, a professor from the Department of Computer Science, PES College of Engineering, Mandya, said that such an exam will make it difficult for the authorities to judge the right aptitude of students. “Students from Tier-1 cities with better academic facilities and exposure to trending developments will have an upper hand over their counterparts from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and rural areas. A more just way would be to have a unified syllabus from the higher-secondary level in all schools across the country and then to introduce such an exam,” he said.

Since January this year, the AICTE has been approaching states to convince them that a single entrance test would save energy and money for students. It recently uploaded model entrance questions, with a focus on testing candidates’ practical aptitude, seeking feedback from different stakeholders.