The JEE was a stringent and time tested entrance exam through which selection of students to the prestigious IITs was made. The exam ensured that the best talent in the country entered the portals of IIT and contributed to the reputation of these institutes. The recruits to the IITs later excelled in various fields – both engineering and non-technology related. Many IITians went on to excel in the fields of management and civil service and several of them choose to settle abroad.
Wherever they landed up – as civil servants, managers, entrepreneurs, or technologists and scientists they excelled in whatever they did and made a mark. This was true both of IITians who continued to work in India or those who settled abroad. Wherever they settled down they made contribution to progress and development of human society. Those who settled abroad became proud ambassadors of India.
Last year an unfortunate decision was taken to dilute the Joint Entrance Examination System. With the new recruitment system in place there is no guarantee that the best of the country’s talent will enter the doors of IIT. The school board exams can be considered to be a very inferior method of evaluating students as compared to the original JEE. When the marks from the two are combined it does considerable damage to the system of selection to IITs.
With a new HRD Minister in office there is yet another possibility of salvaging the system. We should go back to the old system of selection to IITs and NITs which prevailed before last years’ ill-conceived reforms were carried out. The old system where there was a JEE to select students to IITs and an AIEEE to select students to other engineering colleges should be brought back. This was a system which was functioning to the satisfaction of all before the reforms were introduced.
