Varsities should have autonomy on holding entrance tests: Teachers' bodies
(Sourced from PTI)
Several teachers' associations of the state-run universities of West Bengal on Monday said that varsities should be given the autonomy to decide on the issue of holding entrance tests at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The government had reportedly suggested that no entrance test should also be held for admission at the PG level. Here are more details.
The media had earlier reported that the West Bengal government has asked Vice-Chancellors of state universities not to conduct entrance tests at the UG level due to the pandemic situation. Referring to those reports, the associations said that the governments of the state or at the Centre should not meddle in the functioning of the institutes.
According to media reports, the state government has asked the universities to admit students based on the evaluation being done by the state's higher secondary (plus two) councils also known as West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) or equivalent boards.
"We oppose any decision to scrap entrance tests at UG or PG level. We feel any decision about holding or not holding entrance tests should be left to the discretion of the respective university," six teachers' associations including those of Calcutta University, and Jadavpur University said in a statement. Teachers associations of Kalyani University, Burdwan University, and Vidyasagar University also endorsed the statement.
"Any important decision related to academic affairs should not be imposed by the government, which goes against the autonomy of a university and impedes the improvement in quality of education," the statement said. The higher education department of the state has, however, not yet come up with any official announcement in this regard and the education minister neither confirmed nor denied the media reports.
