West Bengal government has asked Vice-Chancellors of state universities not to conduct entrance tests at the UG level due to the pandemic situation
Universities in West Bengal should be given the autonomy to decide on the issue of holding entrance tests at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, several associations of state-run university teachers of West Bengal said on Monday.
Referring to reports in a section of the media that the West Bengal government has asked Vice-Chancellors of state universities not to conduct entrance tests at the UG level due to the pandemic situation, the associations said that the governments of the state or at the Centre should not meddle in the functioning of the institutes.
Many parents and students are also arguing that admission to colleges on the basis of Class 12 marks can be unfair for several students, as the exams have not been conducted this year, and the result is based on internal assessment and past year’s marks.
According to reports, the state government has asked the universities to admit students based on the evaluation being done by the state higher secondary (plus two) councils or equivalent boards.
The West Bengal government report suggested that no entrance test should also be held for admission at the PG level. The board exams in the state also stand cancelled in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, and students are being promoted without physical exams.
‘Academic decisions shouldn’t be imposed by the government’
“We oppose any decision to scrap entrance tests at UG or PG level. We feel any decision about holding or not holding entrance tests should be left to the discretion of the respective university,” six teachers’ bodies, including those of Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, and Rabindra Bharati University said in a statement.
The higher education department of the state has, however, not yet come up with any official announcement in this regard and the education minister neither confirmed nor denied the media reports.
“Any important decision related to academic affairs should not be imposed by the government, which goes against the autonomy of a university and impedes the improvement in quality of education,” the statement said.
Many parents and students are also arguing that admission to colleges on the basis of Class 12 marks can be unfair for several students, as the exams have not been conducted this year, and the result is based on internal assessment and past year’s marks.