Class XII mark weightage in NIT admissions ?

Online conduct of All India Engineering Entrance Exam is among points to be studied by an expert panel appointed today, the Human Resource Development Ministry announced this evening. The AIEEE for admitting students to National Institutes of Technology is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education as a regular pen and paper test.

The committee consisting of three NIT Directors-- Allahabad, Calicut and Agartala-- will look into the possibility of making the exam online as well, the NITs Council decided at its first meeting chaired by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal The Committee will also look at the AIEEE structure to see if weightage could be given to class XII Exam results as NITs Directors ''were of the view that the proliferation of coaching institutes was skewing the pattern of entrants,'' the Ministry said.

The Committee will also study why NIT seats remain vacant despite a number of rounds of counselling, whether it has to do with some courses not being ''market friendly,'' and suggest alternatives, it said. It is expected to give its findings ''by January,'' the Ministry said.

The NITs Council also set up a Committee to recommend a curriculum taking into account the current and future needs of the country, industry and the market. The Committee consisting of three NITs Directors-- Thrichy, Surathkal and Warrangal-- will interact with industry organisations to know their requirements so that ''students have the best possible job prospects.'' Sibal asked all 20 NITs to give a vision statement which would be discussed in the next meeting of the NITs Council.

He asked them to spell out how they might ''build their brand image to attract talent from within the country and abroad,'' including whether ''they would like to set up campuses abroad.'' Sibal said the Council would meet every six months. He said he expected ''high growth in the country and the booming middle class'' to help generate enormous requirement for professional courses and graduate programmes.

He asked them to show how the NITs propose to expand as well as encourage research and Doctoral or Post Doctoral pursuits. The statement said Sibal ''agreed to the NITs request that for the hiring of faculty, in case of exceptional circumstances, hiring can be of an individual at a higher grade pay with the approval of the Board of Governors of the NITs.

''Norms will have to be formulated by the NITs on when such exceptions can be made,'' the statement said. The Council also unanimously approved the setting up of a standing committee to go into the nitty-gritty of proposals or suggestions received.

The Council authorised the Chairman and the Vice-chairman to constitute this committee. Earlier, Higher Education Secretary R P Agrawal told the NIT Directors that a Performance Related Incentive System (PRIS) would be applicable in the NITs.