The Minister for Human Resource Development, Smriti Irani, has expressed concern over the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) exam having degree-level questions that a Class 12 student may find difficult to answer in the two-tier exam for securing a seat in Indian Institutes Technology (IITs), the top-notch technical institutions across the country. In agreement with this, IITs have assured the government that henceforth, JEE paper will have questions only of Class 12 level.
However, the Ministry’s move to ‘dumb-down’ the difficulty level of the exam has invited strong reactions from current IIT students. They are of the opinion that the Ministry’s move will have an impact on IITs’ brand value and reputation.
“Making JEE easier is not the way to allow more aspirants to pass the exam. Rather, it will let students who ‘study’ score better marks along with those who ‘learn’. With this move, the quality of students getting into the premier technical institutions will suffer,” said Abhijit G, a third-year student from IIT Roorkee.
He is not the only one. IITians across the country feel that this move may not be in the best interest of the future of these students.
Social media forums are abuzz with views and opinions of students and aspirants. Though it is too early to comment whether dumbing down JEE will benefit lakhs of aspirants, many beg to differ.