The dispute between the ministries of HRD and health on the proposed “common entrance” test for medical and engineering admissions in the country on Friday reached the Supreme Court with the CBSE seeking the top court’s intervention in the matter after MCI supported HRD minister Kapil Sibal’s move.
The Central Board of Secondary Examination, a body functioning under HRD ministry in an application said it was capable of holding the common entrance test (CET) for both medical and engineering admissions and has drawn a suitable road map, which would save the students from the agony of appearing in multiple entrance exams. Taking note of the CBSE petition argued senior advocate Altaf Ahmed, a bench of Justices R.V. Raveendran and A.K. Patnaik directed the Health Ministry to respond to the issues raised by the board.
During a brief hearing, the apex court had a dig at the health ministry for opposing the proposal mooted by the HRD ministry though the former had acknowledged that the existing system of multiple exams put students under tremendous mental pressure as well as financial burden. In response to court’s query about the CET road map, Mr Ahmed explained that the papers of “physics” and “chemistry” were common for both medical and engineering students.