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| Biju Patnaik University of Technology |
Bhubaneswar, July 12: Students who have failed to clear their diploma engineering test will get another chance to fulfil their BTech dream.
Private engineering colleges, which had been struggling to fill up seats for the past four years, had pleaded with the state government to arrange for a “special supplementary examination” for students who failed in diploma engineering test this year.
Buckling under pressure, the state government has agreed to hold the special test for such students on July 25.
On clearing the special test, the candidates can get admission into engineering colleges through lateral entry. Of the 45,000-odd engineering seats, 12,000 are filled through lateral entry every year.
The government has also notified that diploma students who have failed in the sixth semester but had cleared the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) can take the test. However, students booked for using unfair means in the exam cannot take the test.
According to the rules of Biju Patnaik University of Technology, 20 per cent of the sanctioned intake capacity of an engineering college can be filled up by diploma holders, who will get direct admission to the third semester in their chosen branch of study.
However this year, many diploma students failed in the sixth semester final exam, leaving the technical colleges in a quandary.
As the general supplementary exams are held in November, the institutions approached the department of technical education to hold an instant exam for unsuccessful students and help them enrol in the BTech colleges.
About 10,000 of the 16,000 final-year students of diploma engineering failed this year, making the vacant seat situation worse for engineering colleges across the state. Earlier, the percentage of unsuccessful students used to vary between 10 and 20.
“The diploma students have remained a major feeder group for the engineering colleges as a majority of them take admissions into B.Tech through lateral entry,” said Binod Dash, secretary of the Odisha Private Engineering Colleges’ Association.
The state council for technical education and vocational training attributed the increase in the number of failed students to “stringent exam measures” this year.
For the first time, closed-circuit television cameras were installed in exam halls, besides strengthening of inspection squads for the OJEE this year. The decision for the special exams has been taken in the interest of the student community, said Odisha Private Engineering Schools’ Association secretary Saroj Kumar Sahoo.
“Our request was based on the fact that a majority of the students, who failed in the sixth semester, have qualified in lateral entry entrance tests conducted by various state universities, deemed universities and the OJEE or recruited by various industrial organisations through campus placements,” he said.
However, the privilege of taking the test must be extended to students of other categories interested to pursue engineering courses, Sahoo said.
The technical colleges are also targeting those Plus Two students, who have taken the CHSE “instant exams”. The results of the instant exam were declared today with 52 per cent of the total 7,000 examinees being successful.
“There is nothing wrong in admitting candidates, who have passed Plus Two instant exams as long as they have secured 45 per cent marks. However, in no case can colleges take students scoring less than that,” said Dash.
Earlier this year, the technical education department had decided to do away with negative marks following a report in this paper about private colleges admitting students securing negative marks in the OJEE.
This time, a little over 19,000 students attended the first round of the OJEE counselling for 45,000-odd engineering seats with private colleges leaving no stone unturned to lure students.
On June 22, The Telegraph had carried a report on how engineering colleges were offering free film tickets, laptops, iPads, meals at high-end restaurants and other freebies to prospective students.
