Presidency University to exit WBJEE process; will frame own UG admission criteria: Report

In a significant move for Undergraduate (UG) admissions, the Presidency University has announced plans to hold its own admission process, marking its exit from the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) system after nearly a decade, as per the Telegraph report.

On Wednesday, all 16 departments of Presidency University informed the admissions committee that they prefer to select students either through their own department-led entrance examinations or on the basis of students' Class 12 marks, the report said.

At that meeting, nine departments — chemistry, history, economics, life science, astrophysics, statistics, Bengali, political science, and philosophy — stated that they wished to admit students through examinations conducted by their respective departments, the report added.

The report further stated that the other seven departments — physics, English, performing arts, sociology, mathematics, geology, and Hindi — have also decided to admit students based on their Class 12 marks.

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Presidency University UG entrance exam

The JEE board managed undergraduate admissions at Presidency University from 2015 until last year. Before that, the university held its own exams, which many academics said effectively identified talented students, The Telegraph India report stated.

“All departments agreed that they wish to opt out of the admission process conducted by the JEE board . Each department wants to select students through their own examinations or based on their Class 12 scores,” said Arnab Halder, head of the chemistry department.

The chemistry department will admit students using a combined score of their entrance test and Class 12 marks, he added.

He further stated that the department is still deciding how to allocate marks to those two components, but that they believe an entrance exam created by their own faculty is the most effective way to select talented students.

Presidency University teachers raised concerns that the JEE board-led system lowered academic standards, as the board conducted exams entirely on its own without involving university faculty in setting the questions, as per the report.

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Presidency University UG admission process

Last August, teachers wrote to vice-chancellor Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty, saying that faculty were initially involved in setting question papers to ensure quality, but they raised concerns when the board took over the entire process, according to The Telegraph India.

“The teachers said that while they supported making admissions more accessible, recent problems and lack of transparency have made them rethink their deal with the JEE board,” it added.

In 2015, the Presidency handed over admissions to the JEE board because it didn’t have enough test centres. A teacher said this has improved with new campuses in New Town and Kurseong, so departments can now hold their own tests more easily, as per the report.

Presidency registrar Debajyoti Konar said that most departments support conducting their own admission processes, and that this proposal would be sent to the governing body for approval,” the report added.