The efficient functioning of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) over the last five decades has made the nation proud. The secret of success is non-interference by government agencies in the admission and selection of students for the undergraduate B.Tech. course. Indeed, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to the IITs can be said to be one of the very best selection tests in the world. This was refined over a period of time, and it evolved into a good assessment of an aspiring candidate's mental and analytical reasoning. By its very nature, the JEE cannot be equated or compared with the several board examinations held in different States after Class 12.

It is no exaggeration to say that the cream of the youth got into the IITs because of the rigour of testing and unbiased procedures. Nobody, including the progeny of the highest dignitary in the land, could enter the portals of the IITs solely banking on influence. Naturally, the products of the institutions became the hot favourites for employers all over the world.

Tinkering with and revamping of the examination system for entrance to these prestigious institutions need to be avoided when it has been found to be sound. True, the contents of the board syllabi must also be learnt well by students. But the JEE even as it exists today cannot be cleared by the candidates without the subject knowledge gained from the different Central and Board syllabi for the Standard XI and XII. The JEE goes beyond these since many application-oriented questions (essential for a regimen of engineering education) figure in the question papers.

It is worth recalling that a committee appointed a few years ago to review the functioning of the IITs suggested the jettisoning of the B. Tech degree course and offering only the M. Tech and doctoral programmes. This was considered preposterous by the academic world and cut no ice with the people in the know of things. The reason: It is the undergraduate course which is the bulwark of the IIT system providing a pool of excellence at an early stage.

Luckily, the suggestion was not implemented making the availability of a reservoir of good technical manpower at the higher levels. No doubt, there is need for continuous refinement of the JEE and this is already happening without sacrificing the validity of assessment.

The Senate of each IIT has a great role to play because of the stakes involved. Now reports indicate a divided opinion among the Senates of different IITs on the latest proposal to modify the JEE. The Human Resource Development Ministry under Kapil Sibal has stirred up a hornets' nest and now the Minister says he respects the autonomy of the IITs and that he is ready for discussions though he is certain about “One India, one test.” What the Minister must remember is the adage that the remedy must not be worse than the disease.

(The writer is a former Education Correspondent of The Hindu. trajagopalan@ yahoo. com)