Kolkata: A day after the Jadavpur University (JU) decided to reintroduce admission tests in the Arts courses, authorities also indicated that they would not engage external experts to set up question papers for the test.
A specially empowered admission committee headed by university registrar professor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee also announced that entrance tests for English, Comparative Literature, History, Political Science, Philosophy and Bangla departments would be held between July 21-25.
On July 4, the university’s executive council (EC) had decided to scrap entrance tests in Arts courses amid uproar over “outsiders” setting question papers.
The decision to appoint external experts sparked outrage among a section of teachers and students who sat on a hunger strike. The protesters felt that the decision to appoint the experts was “humiliating” and a “compromise with the institution’s autonomy”.
The deadlock was resolved on Tuesday after the EC reversed its decision and brought back admission tests, albeit with a 50-50 weightage to marks obtained in Class 12 and the entrance exam.
Speaking to News18, Bhattacharjee said, “We have announced the dates for admission tests and the entire process will be handled by the admission committee.”
Asked about the committee’s decision on external experts, he said, “The admission committee will be mainly responsible for the whole process. If they feel, they can hire outsiders and if they don’t, then it is their decision. It is totally up to them.”
Assistant secretary of Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) Partha Pratim Ray said, “There will be no outsourcing in the admission process. It was decided that everything will be done in-house. Internal teachers will be involved. We welcome this decision.”
Ray said, “Admission test for English will be held on July 21 and for Bengali on July 23. Philosophy and International Relations departments would conduct the tests on July 24 and for Comparative Literature and History, the exam date is July 25. The provisional merit list will be published on August 3 and dates of counselling and admission are August 8, 9 and 10.”
The committee announced that undergraduate classes for Economics, Sanskrit and Sociology will begin from August 1 while those of English, Bengali, Philosophy, Political Science, Comparative Literature and History will commence from August 13.
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