File picture of a Plus Two examination in progress in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, May 29: If you are bunking your Plus Two classes for private coaching, think twice. With the introduction of a common entrance test for admissions into engineering institutions, run by the Union government, including IITs, NITs and IIITs from 2013, Plus Two board exams has assumed greater significance.

The new format will take into consideration marks scored in Class XII or Plus Two, as it is commonly known. Until now, most Plus Two students preparing for the IITs used to enrol into various private coaching centres, ignoring the board exams and concentrating more on securing good ranks in the all India entrance tests.

These exams at the national level used to decide one’s admission into a premier institute.

More than 15,000 students from the state have taken admissions in about 20 coaching centres in the capital. These include students from Class X to XII, and also those, who have crossed this academic level. The Plus Two students, bunking regular classes in colleges to attend private coaching, are a regular affair in most colleges in the city.

With the new format, college authorities, who have been trying for a long time to ensure full attendance in the Plus Two courses, especially in science stream, are heaving a sigh of relief.

“The best part is that the craze for coaching institutes will come down and attendance in colleges will improve. BJB College, being a premier institute, has the best students of the state. Yet, it becomes difficult to ensure 100 per cent attendance as most students bunk classes for coaching institutes. The problem is more acute in good colleges such as ours as students are more serious about their career,” said Suresh Patnaik, principal of BJB (Autonomous) College.

However, officials of coaching centre beg to differ. “There is a difference between what they teach in the college and what we teach here. Mere Plus Two syllabi are not sufficient to crack any national entrance exam. Here, coaching centres play a key role,” said L.N. Mohapatra, co-ordinator of a private coaching institute.

The major difference between Plus Two board exams and entrance tests is the question pattern.

While the Plus Two exams required students to answer long questions, short questions and very short questions, the entrance exams had multiple-choice questions, Mohapatra said.

However, academicians argued that such coaching centres “spoil the originality” of students. “Unless students attend regular classes, writes and reads in detail, and is thorough with the subject, their rational thinking will not improve. They cannot formulate, recreate or develop anything on their own,” said Minati Mishra, a college faculty member.

In another development, coaching institutes admitted that they would lose out on the number of students if the new system started working. “It will affect our intake of students from Class X to XII,” said Mohapatra. “However, one good thing is that we will get better quality students, who are clear with the fundamentals of a subject. That will save us from a lot of extra works. Often students, especially from Class XI, are not clear about what is being taught,” he said.

Students, too, appeared happy with the introduction of a single entrance exam. “We found it difficult to connect between what is taught in college and the coaching centres. Now, it will be distinct and more convenient,” said Jigyasa, a student of Ramadevi Women’s College.