JEE, AIEEE, and a whole bunch of 'E's.

This Sunday marked an important event in the lives of many students in India, for the All India Engineering / Architecture Entrance Examination (AIEEE) was held nationwide. The exam consists of a three-hour paper that "tests the student's analytical and quantitative abilities" or something like that. There were 105 questions in all, divided into three sections - Physics, Maths and Chemistry. The exam, though not as prestigious as JEE, holds more importance than the Joint Entrance Examination. To understand this, we need to take a look at the education system.

Undergraduate engineering in India is taught by colleges that are divided into roughly a three-tier system:

1. The IITs.
2. Colleges granting admission on the basis of AIEEE, and BITS (Birla Institute of Technology and Science).
3. Colleges granting admission on the basis of State level exams i.e. CETs (Common Entrance Tests)


While the first category is well defined, there is no clear demarcation between the other two. The IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) are the elite institutes for only the very best of students. These students are selected on the basis of JEE (Joint Entrance Examination), probably the toughest undergraduate examination in the world. Out of the 3 lakh, 20 thousand students that gave this exam this year, probably only a few five thousand or more will earn the honour to call themselves an IITian (and I hope to count myself as one of them). The JEE is much more difficult than AIEEE, but however holds less importance. This is because while JEE affects the lives of a few students (as most of them are fully aware that they will not make it anyways), the hopes of all the remaining students lie with AIEEE, for this exam is their ticket to the future.

But this year, the ticket that was issued was soiled.

The AIEEE is conducted by the CBSE board, which is run by the government. And none of the government institutions are known for their efficiency or care or dedication. The first goof-up occurred when students were alloted centres for their exams halfway across the country, in remote places they hadn't even heard of. Secondly, the admit cards arrived very late. All this just a week or two before exams. And being the time of summer, trains were jam-packed, and no form of transportation was available.

Now, I wasn't affected. Having given the JEE before, I am well confident that I shall be selected for the IITs. But for the student whose sole refuge was AIEEE, it was a disaster. Many were unable to make it to the centre, ruining a year of their life, and probably their career. Luckily, my centre was not too far off, so I had no pressure to handle. However, my friend missed out on the exam.

OK, now, enough bashing. Now that the exams are over (save for BITSAT), it's all a matter of results. Seats and courses shall be alloted to students on the basis of their All India Rank (AIR).

And therein lies the great fault with The Great Indian Engineering Drama, and therein lies the crux of this post.

The course that you get, the institute that you get; everything is determined by your performance in a single exam on general engineering. While it is perfectly acceptable that only the best students should get the best institute on the basis of merit (Which reminds me of reservations! Maybe next post...), I am not so sure about the course part. Let me explain with an example:

Let us consider a student, say X. He scores the 13th AIR, a very prestigious rank. At such a high level, he has the world at his feet; any institute or course is available to him. He, however, has no idea which course to take, for he does not know what interests him! Now, some courses, like Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, etc. are considered to be the elite courses (since they make you eligible for high-paying jobs). So X takes Computer Science, the very best course in the best institute, even though he doesn't know the difference between hardware and software. Now consider Mr. Y, who got not a very good rank, and missed out on the best course. He cannot take Computer Science, even though he is a wizard at computers. So he goes on to study a course he's least interested in. Even at the institute, he's considered a computer wizard, but alas! Finally, the pressure takes a toll on him, and he commits suicide.

A gruesome example, I admit; but it is, shockingly, a true incident which occurred at IIT-Powai.

Thus lies the problem in the ranking system. The exam only tests your ability in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. It cannot evaluate your aptitude in the particular course you desire to take, and no effort has been made to overcome this shortcoming. Even though the IIT authorities promised some "improvements" to the system, there is yet any action to be taken. Perhaps the incident has just faded from the memory of the public; as the memory of the general public is very alarmingly short - evident by the same promises made again and again during every election. But I digress. A dig at politicians deserves it's own post.

I have given the entrance exam. I have extremely high aptitude and interest in computers. But will I be able to beat the system and get that coveted course of Computer Science reserved for a few, who probably don't deserve it? This is a personal battle! Stay tuned for more info.