Has Common Entrance Test (CET) outlived its utility?

All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has mandated that every student aspiring to commence education in engineering should qualify in a selection test. This was, ostensibly, prescribed to ensure that only deserving candidates get selected to undergo engineering education which was acknowledged as a prestigious course some decades back.

In line with this direction, some all India level tests such as, IIT JEE, AIEEE and some state level common entrance tests by different state Governments are being held year after year. In the early years of growth of engineering education in India, there was an acute shortage of engineering seats and distribution of seats was on the basis of donations and capitation. There was a need for Govt’s intervention to install a centralized selection and allocation of seats through a regulated admission process. The state Govts had to step in to ensure that the available engineering seats are distributed equitably to all sections of the society in a fair manner, as per merit and other social considerations. In doing so, Govts have built up a bureaucratic strangle hold on the admission process. In the guise of protecting the interest of the common man, politicians in power and the Govt machinery have taken absolute control of a system that dictates fees to be charged and allocates seats to colleges in the state in a routine manner.

Today, the engineering admission scenario in Karnataka is far from the reasons which warranted a Govt monitored model. The demand for engineering seats is far less than the capacity created over the years. For instance, as per Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA), in the year 2011 nearly 22000 seats went abegging and remained unfilled. This is equivalent of 50 colleges. These are not seats in Govt colleges but capacity created by private colleges. It may probably argued that if the preference pattern of the students have changed, Govt cannot be blamed for that and certainly not the ‘Common Entrance Test (CET) system’ that the bureaucracy had designed. But what is not understood in this argument is to know, who are affected by this fall in admission. Has this centralized system ensured that the burden of 22000 seats is shared by all colleges equally? No; the burden is entirely transferred to colleges which are treated as “untouchables”. There was a media report that after 2011 CET, about 10 colleges in Karnataka had zero admission from CET and even some of them had to down their shutters, being unviable.

The term “untouchable” used in the context of engineering colleges needs elaboration. There is caste system existing among the colleges, which is ably assisted and abetted by the ill-conceived CET system. The colleges are informally categorized into three grades; the ‘top grade’ colleges, ‘2^nd rung’ colleges and the ‘ordinary’ colleges. There may be about 15 colleges which are treated as top grade and another 20% as 2^nd rung and the remaining bulk are the ordinary colleges. Really, there is no basis for this division; but it exists because of people’s perception. How such perceptions are formed needs a deeper investigation. 

The top grade colleges are those which are in existence for over 20 to 30 years. In the formative years of these colleges, there was acute shortage of engineering seats and only good and meritorious students could get admission to those colleges. Hence they produced good engineers and their reputation soared in the eye of the public. The present CET system helps in retaining that reputation by its skewed method of seat allocation. The 2^nd rung colleges are those which are not that old, but established in the early nineties by rich politicians and business families. In those days, starting an engineering college was considered as a thriving business with the prevalence of capitation fee and what not. These colleges, by virtue of their financial strength have put up massive infrastructure in terms of a five star kind of a campus. This flashy outlook attracts admissions. The ordinary colleges are the ones put up by other smaller fishes, who could barely invest to provide essential infrastructure to conduct classes without any extra frills.

           
What is the effect of this hierarchy on the admission process? The real bright ones, among those aspiring for engineering seats, would qualify for IIT in IITJEE and secure their chosen branch of engineering. It is the bulk of the rest who vie for the CET seats which are wholly managed and controlled by the state Govts. All qualifying students at CET are given ranks, aimed at providing preferential treatment to those who do well in CET. The ranking and the subsequent counseling based on it, is the undoing of the CET system. Seat allocation is highly skewed in favor of the top rung colleges that it attracts all meritorious students. Their seats get filled fully even before many colleges get even a single student allotted. Some of these colleges have also increased their capacity by starting evening classes. Thus the crème of CET, say upto the rank of 4000 get allotted to the reputed colleges and so they continue to do well. Others who could not make it to the top grade do manage to the second rung colleges or they accept management seats in the college of their choice. In this manner the top half of the aspirants get accommodated.

At the end of the spectrum are the vast majority of ordinary colleges who have to share remainder 50% of the rank structure holding ranks, 30000 or more. What are their credentials? These are students who qualified to write CET with bare minimum marks and choose engineering because seats are easily available and the fees payable is very well affordable. Some of them join due to parental pressure and are not motivated enough to take on a challenging course of education. They do not mind giving it a try; even it meant loss of one year. Nearly 25 to 30% of the students do not complete the four years curriculum. The present CET system perpetuates “academic apartheid” by sending all good students to reputed colleges and pushing mediocre students to lesser known colleges. The net result of such a skewed system is listed below:-

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1. The top grade colleges continue to do well academically by virtue of getting all good students.
2. With full admission year after year, the top grade colleges have enough income to implement revised pay scales as per 6^th CPC.
3. All potential corporate employers target only these top grade colleges for campus selection as they are confident about the caliber of the students.
4. The ordinary colleges have to face the brunt of all ill effects of this system.  They get mediocre students and that too only to the extent of 25 to 50% of their CET quota. All the unfilled seats are shared by them. Companies hesitate visiting these colleges for campus selection. Their staff cannot be paid revised salaries. The net effect of all this is a bleak future.

Thus CET system which was originally meant to provide fair and equal opportunities to all has become the prime source of discrimination whereby it helps some colleges to flourish at the cost of ordinary colleges. They failed to provide equal representation of good and mediocre students to all colleges; they failed to distribute the vacant seats to all colleges in equal proportion. If they can’t ensure equitable distribution, should they continue to meddle with the higher education system? On top of this, CET forces 5% of the approved intake as free seats under ‘fee waiver scheme’ to all colleges. This means, a college with an approved intake of 400, if only 25% of the sets are filled will get 100 fresh admissions of which 20 (5% of 400) will be free seats. This means that the college has to survive and function effectively from the fees collected from just 80 students. Can we imagine the plight of such colleges?

Tuition fees is another area where Govt interfere and fix the fees payable by students allotted through CET. It might sound absurd, but the fact is , in Engineering Colleges in Bangalore fees for admission to pre-nursery class is higher than the prescribed fee for engineering students which is Rs. 35000/- per year. The fee is only Rs. 25000/- for students belonging to SC/ST category. These are the populist measures of the Govt to make engineering education affordable to students. But is it affordable to colleges? It may be argued that the colleges are allowed to fill in 50% of the sanctioned strength through COMEDK and under management quota at a higher fee of Rs 100000/- per year, which can more than offset the loss due to CET seats. This argument is true and valid if all sanctioned seats are filled. But the reality is, this 50% quota remains grossly unfilled in several colleges. Can the populist policy of the Govt be justified? While on the subject of fees, it is interesting to note tha the students admitted through CET remit their first year fees to KEA at the time of counseling. The logic behind this is not known. The Govt holds this amount and remits to the colleges concerned in two or more installments at their convenience. Here the Govt in the guise of seat allocation takes over the funds which are not legitimately theirs.

To conclude, The CET system has outlived its utility. As long as the available seats are at par or more than the demand, there is no role a Govt needs to play. They only need to conduct a common entrance test and declare the results. Thereafter, students should have the freedom to select the college they like. Colleges can offer scholarships and special fee packages to attract meritorious students. Similarly, colleges should be free to accept or reject a student at fees mutually acceptable. In this system all students shall pay the same tuition fees. The “fee waiver Scheme” is a project instituted by the Govt. Naturally fees of the students admitted under this scheme should e reimbursed to the colleges by the Govt.

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This article has been written by Col NPR Babu(Retd), Dir(Academics) at SCT Institute of Technology.