A meeting of the admission committee at Presidency University held on Thursday decided that each department would inform the university authorities on the methodology to screen undergraduate students next year, said an official.

Each department has been asked to give its feedback before January 7. The university will decide on the admission methodology on that day.

The meeting was held after the university teachers wrote to the convenor of the admission committee on December 16 to hold an immediate meeting for ensuring a transparent, equitable, and efficient admission procedure.

“We have left it to the department to say how they want to screen students. They must also look into the issue of logistics while deciding on their opinion,” said a Presidency official.

The state JEE board has been conducting the undergraduate entrance tests on behalf of Presidency since 2015.

This year, the tests were held on June 21 and 22. Students, as of now, are admitted entirely based on the admission tests. Earlier, the Presidency would conduct the tests independently.

Arnab Halder, the head of the chemistry department, who attended the meeting, said: “I believe that students should be screened based on an equal weightage to the admission tests conducted by the department and the Plus-II board results. If a test is conducted by the department, it allows the teachers to set questions. Under the JEE board-conducted admission tests, teachers are not consulted in setting the questions.”

Suchetana Chatterjee, a physics teacher, said: “I think, admitting students by awarding equal weightage to the admission tests conducted by the department and the Plus-II board results is one of the better ways to attract a bright student. Let the department take a collective decision on the issue.”

The teachers said in their letter that, although it was resolved that a meeting of the admission committee would be held in November, “regrettably”, the meeting was not held last month.

The teachers have said that the long-standing “grievances” regarding the setting of the exam questions need to be addressed immediately. They said an immediate resolution on what would be the admission process next year, which would uphold the university’s commitment to academic integrity and students’ welfare.

A Presidency teacher said if Jadavpur University can hold an admission test to screen its own students, why cannot Presidency do it?

“Any institute which wants to excel would like to screen its own students to get the best and brightest. An admission test where the teachers of an institution get to set questions is the best way to screen a student. Presidency held this legacy till 2014. That should be restored,” said a Presidency teacher.

In their letter to the VC, the teachers had also expressed concern over the handling of the undergraduate admissions this year and urged the VC to “reconsider” the Presidency’s “arrangement with the JEE board”.