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| ICAR |
The entrance examinations for courses, including agriculture science, veterinary science, home science, dairy technology and 90 such disciplines, were conducted by the ICAR on April 17. Candidate with both the three-year and four-year degrees were allowed to sit in the entrance examination. The candidates who cleared the written tests, were then called for counselling in the last week of June.
However, when it came to allotment of seats, a ‘caste distinction’ was introduced on the basis of the tenure of degree course irrespective of the rank achieved by the candidate in the written test. Though these exams were conducted by ICAR, when the ‘manipulation’ in the rule was pointed out, the ICAR said that it had no role in the allocation of seats and that “each university is following its own policy” of admission criteria.
“The ICAR, which is the nodal agency for admissions, has its role restricted to conducting the entrance exams and has no control over these universities which are following different rules,” says Deputy Director General, Education, Dr Arvind Kumar. However, the matter of fact is that the counselling is being conducted on the ICAR campus on Pusa Road in the national Capital. In fact, the ICAR issues the admit cards for the exam, conducts the test and then calls the candidates for counselling. The universities affiliated to ICAR also receive grant from it.
A total of 70 universities are affiliated to ICAR for the conduct of agriculture stream courses. ICAR conducts a common test for admission in these universities. “Through ICAR, the universities affiliated to it, admit 15 per cent candidates in the UG course and 25 per cent candidates in the PG course. The remaining seats they fill locally,” informed DDG Kumar.
Out of these 70 universities affiliated to ICAR, while some famous universities, including GB Pant University in Uttarakhand, Himachal University and Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, admit the three-year UG candidates, while the lesser known agriculture science centres of the universities of Assam, Nagaland, Varanasi and Aligarh do not admit three-year UG candidates.
Ishita Tiwari, MSc aspirant had completed her three-year BSc in Home Science from the Allahabad University. She had cleared the written test, and was called for counseling on ICAR campus last week. Ishita was allotted a seat for MSc at the Jorhat University, Assam.
Soon thereafter the initial amount of Rs 2000 was paid by her and the admission was confirmed. However, just a few hours later she was informed that since she had done a three-year BSc course, she does not stand eligible to take admission in MSc in the university. Later, the representatives from Jorhat University asked her to write an application saying that since the university was remotely located she did not want to take admission there. They even returned the Rs 2000 that Ishita had paid as admission fees. Though Ishita has the admission letter and the fee receipt, she is not sure whether she has a seat or not.
Ishita is not an isolated case. Several candidates with a three-year BSc degree are being denied admission in the MSc course. In most cases, despite being eligibility for admission these candidates are being put in the waitlist and will be given admission only if the seats remain vacant after admitting the four-year UG candidates.
“A candidate with a three-year UG degree has to undertake a three-year PG degree course. Some of the universities complain that they do not have the faculty and infrastructure to host a three-year PG course for candidates with a three-year UG degree. We can only make recommendations to the universities, but we cannot impose over decision on them,” added Kumar. Clarifying his stand further, Kumar added that ICAR is only a regulatory body for conducting the exams and that each university is governed by its own Academic Regulation and not by ICAR.
