The State government has decided that the II pre-university scores will not be used to determine eligibility to write the Common Entrance Test (CET). The II PU marks or grades will not be considered while allotting CET ranks for engineering, architecture, farm science, and naturopathy and yoga courses either.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said the decision was taken in light of the cancellation of the II PU exam.
Shortly after the government announced that students would be marked or graded based on their performance in the SSLC and I PU exams, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar wrote to the Deputy CM to not consider the II PU scores for CET.
CET-2021 will be held on August 28, 29, and 30, and registrations will be open on June 15. Mr. Narayan also said that this year, the government was doing away with minimum eligibility marks, which vary depending on the course. In the past, for instance, engineering aspirants had to have scored a minimum of 45% (40% for SC/ST/OBC) in PCM subjects to be eligible to sit for CET. This year, II PU and Class 12 students applying for all professional courses can write CET as there will be no minimum score criteria.
The Minister also reiterated that only CET marks would be considered to issue a rank. “An official communication on this will be sent immediately to the respective councils, including the All Indian Council for Technical Education, the National Testing Agency, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research,” he said.
Screening method
While the State government has waived the minimum marks criterion for II PU students who wish to give the entrance test, it is considering introducing an alternative screening mechanism based on how they score in CET itself. A minimum eligibility criterion may be introduced for admission into professional courses through CET, said Mr. Narayan, adding that it would be along the lines of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test.
