Academics oppose IISERs' admission method

The Hindu : Education : Academics oppose IISERs' admission method

R. Ravikanth Reddy

The admission mode being adopted by the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) for the newly introduced “Direct Admission” category is unscientific, say academics.

The Joint Admission Committee of the IISERs is considering last year's cut-off marks for this year's admissions under this category and this rationale is being questioned by academics who say the wide variations in results of each board every year will be disadvantageous to students of some States.
Five-year courses

The IISERs were started in Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram to give a boost to science teaching and research, and they offer five-year integrated courses.

Apart from admitting students based on the KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana) selection and regular list of IIT-JEE entrance test, the IISERs have added the “Direct Admission” category, where students of every board in the country will also be eligible to apply if they figure in the top 1 per cent of the State both in their 10th and 12th classes.

This channel will open on June 15.

Though appreciative of the new channel, academics however, say it is wise to use the present year's cut-off mark. Citing the variations, Prof. Ashwini Nangia of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) says students of some States might be eliminated if last year's figures are taken into consideration.

Fluctuations are evident in the cut-off list of different States being used by IISERs. For example, the variation is nearly 6 per cent in 2008 and 2009 in 12th class results in Bihar (66.7 to 73.4 per cent) and Maharashtra (89 to 83.8 per cent).

The variation is nearly 5 per cent in Rajasthan (78.3 to 82.4 per cent) and Uttarakhand (75.2 to 68.2).

Similarly, there is fluctuation of more than 4 per cent in Gujarat (83 to 77.8 per cent, Goa (76.3 to 81.8 per cent) and Chhattisgarh (81 to 85 per cent). Similar fluctuations are seen in the 10th class results too.
Several factors

Prof. Nangia argues that the result depends on several factors such as the standard of examination, level of grading, disturbances in that State.

Moreover, it is unfair to choose students based on their seniors' performance and not theirs.

“When you are choosing the top 1 per cent, how can you allow such huge variations knowingly,” he says.

He also rejects the argument of the IISERs that it will take several months to prepare the cut-off tables after 12th class results are out and the present method was the only practical solution.

“With computerisation of mark lists in every education board it should not be difficult to get the desired result faster since results of most of them are available,” he says.

Academics also say that a majority of the applicants to the IISERs this year will be from the board toppers pool as KVPY and IIT-JEE lists students prefer to opt for engineering than sciences, which is the core area of the IISERs.

“So there is all the more need to be cautious in their admissions,” they say.