The admission committee of the science faculty at Jadavpur University has accepted the proposals of the four departments — physics, chemistry, mathematics and geography — to screen students for undergraduate courses through admission tests.
The move is to ensure that the undergraduate aspirants are not admitted on the strength of inflated Plus-II board marks alone, a JU official said.
An admission committee member said it has been resolved that four out of the five departments would admit candidates by awarding equal weightage to admission tests and Plus-II board marks.
The geological sciences department wants to continue with the practice of admitting students on the basis of Plus-II board marks. “The committee requested the department to discuss at its board of studies again and give its feedback within the next few days,” the member said.
The Telegraph had reported on Monday that four out of the five undergraduate science departments at JU have informed the admissions committee of the science faculty that they want to screen students through admission tests.
The science departments at JU have traditionally admitted students based on their board marks, while the arts departments have over the years been screening students through admission tests.
This time the science departments wanted to break free of the practice so they could get candidates who have in him or her what it takes to pursue a science programme.
Partha Pratim Roy, a teacher in the physics department, said they wanted admission tests because this would create a level playing field among those competing for securing berths.
“We have been demanding this since 2018...,” said Roy.
The admission test will be in MCQ format.
This year, the state higher secondary council allowed students to write the school leaving examinations at the “home centres” so they could write tests after a year’s gap free of any stress.
Last year, Class XII students were assessed based on their performance in the Class XI annual exams and their performance in the secondary exams.
The outcome was a large number of students scored exceptionally high marks. “Now, these candidates are eligible to apply for admissions,” said a JU official.
A teacher of the chemistry department said they have come across reports about how the sanctity of the examination system has been breached across the centres this year.“The teachers have helped students they have known for years....”