Now, Centre mulls NEET-like entrance exam for engineering courses

According to official sources, at a high-level meeting of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Wednesday, the issue of holding a single examination for engineering college admissions, similar to what NEET is for medical college admissions came up. 

The proposal received widespread support from a lot of participants but it was decided that before a final decision is taken in the matter it should be discussed with various states as well.  There is a view in the Prakash Javadekar-led HRD ministry that holding a single entrance examination for engineering colleges across the country would not only help in curbing irregularities and bring transparency but also reduce the burden on students of having to appear in several examinations. It is also learnt that one of the representatives of a state government who was present in the meeting also expressed some reservations to the idea. 

Another key proposal which was discussed at the meeting pertained to making an exit test mandatory for students, who are passing out of college to assess their skill sets.  It was again decided in the AICTE meeting that the proposal too would be discussed with states before a final decision is taken, sources said.  The proposals are expected to be taken up in the next meeting of the council by when the consultation process would be over, the sources added.