The Hindu : Kerala News : Cusat likely to admit 50% students from AIEEE rank list

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala

Cusat likely to admit 50% students from AIEEE rank list

G. Krishnakumar

Students from State to be admitted after test

KOCHI: The Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) is likely to admit 50 per cent of students in its B.Tech. programmes from the rank list of the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE).

The university will hold its own entrance test for admitting students from the State to the remaining seats.

Sources in the Higher Education Department said that an earlier decision to admit students from the AIEEE rank list would be put on hold only for this academic year.

The decision to scrap the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the university was taken in December after the government gave its nod for converting Cusat into an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST). The Higher Education Department had then pointed out that students could be admitted into the IIEST only on the basis of a national-level test. But the Higher Education Department later reversed its decision following strong protests from various quarters, including the Syndicate. Many parents and students complained that they had lost a chance, as the last date for applying for AIEEE was January 10.

Higher Education Secretary K.M. Abraham, who took charge of Vice-Chancellor last week, came up with a new proposal where 50 per cent of seats would be filled on the basis of an entrance test conducted by the university.

The proposal was listed on the agenda of the Syndicate meeting held on Monday. A decision could not be taken after the meeting was called off amidst protests by a section of the Syndicate members.

Sources said that a final decision on this year’s admission procedure could not be put on hold as it would only add to the existing confusion. Cusat had notified last year’s CAT in January.

It is reliably learnt that the Higher Education Secretary would use his discretionary powers to implement the new proposal.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala