The sociology department at Jadavpur University, which had announced it would admit undergraduate students solely on the basis of their Plus-II board marks, has decided to reinstate its admission test.
The decision came after protests by students who argued that scrapping the test would disadvantage candidates from state boards.JU’s acting registrar, Indrajit Banerjee, said the sociology department will now admit students by giving equal weightage to the admission test and Plus-II board results.
“In an admission committee meeting on June 18 — the day undergraduate admissions began — the department said they were restoring the tests, which had been the mode so far,” he said.
Protests
Priyajit Seth, a postgraduate student and member of the SFI unit on campus, said they started the protests last week when they learned that three humanities departments — sociology, philosophy, and Sanskrit — had decided to scrap admission tests.
The protesters contended that relying solely on board marks would dilute academic standards and undermine the university’s autonomy. In 2018, ten JU departments had similarly scrapped entry tests but later reversed the decision after student opposition.
“State boards are still conservative in awarding Plus-II marks compared to the CBSE and ICSE boards. If admissions are based only on marks, Bengal board aspirants will suffer,” said Seth. “Entrance tests have long been the tried and tested method at JU. Why change that?”
Abhinaba Basu, a postgraduate student and also an SFI member, said: “Giving equal weightage to entry tests and board marks is the most scientific and fair system. Students from science and commerce also apply to humanities departments. Admission tests ensure a level playing field.”
Other departments
The mathematics department, which admitted students based solely on board marks last year, has also decided to restore entrance tests for this year’s admissions.
Subhas Mondal, head of the mathematics department, said: “Last year, we could not hold admission tests due to internal reasons. This year, we have resumed them.”
Science faculty students had written to the dean requesting a return to test-based admissions.
“The mathematics department will also admit students based on equal weightage to the admission test and Plus-II marks,” said registrar Banerjee.
The philosophy department, however, will stick to marks-only admission this year.
Dipayan Pattanayak, head of the philosophy department, said on Monday: “We will admit students based only on marks.”
Banerjee said that since the submission of application forms has already begun, the department cannot change its mode of admission now.