Abolition of Common Entrance Test

Abolition of Entrance Test for Law Courses Challenged in Court

Abolition of Common Entrance Test

Chennai: The decision to abolish Common Entrance Test (CET) and introduce “normalization” system for admission to professional courses is a “plausible and reasonable” solution, the Government has informed the Madras High Court.

Pursuant to the filing of public interest litigation petitions, opposing and supporting the Government decision, Higher Education Secretary K.Ganesan filed a counter affidavit before the First Bench headed by Chief Justice A.P. Shah on Wednesday.

The matter, to be heard by another Division Bench headed by Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra, was adjourned to April 10.

The counter said the Government had appointed an expert committee, headed by former Vice Chancellor of Anna University M.Anandakrishnan, to evolve a scientific and a logical solution to repeated demands from those appearing for other streams of examinations.

As per the normalization process worked out by the committee, the highest mark of different boards in a subject are equated with the highest marks of the respective subject of the State board by applying a formula.

“If the highest mark secured by a student of the State Board in physics is 100 and the highest mark of a student of another board in the same subject is 90, then both the highest marks will be considered to be equal to 100.”

If a student in the other board scores 60 marks in Physics, when the top mark in the subject in the same board is 90, then 60 marks will be considered to be equal to 66.66 marks, as per the formula.

“Unnecessary Hardship”:

The Government also submitted that the CET for Commission to professional courses had become highly expensive and a source of unnecessary hardship for students.

The present arrangement envisaged providing a level playing field o students from rural areas and poor families, and those from urban areas.

The counter said even the Supreme Court had not said the CET alone satisfied the triple test of fair, transparent and non – exploitative method.

Abolition of Common Entrance Test

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