Students seeking admissions in engineering and technology undergraduate courses will have to mandatorily take up maths and physics at the high school level, the All Indian Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said on 29 March, Tuesday.
This is a U-turn from its previous set of guidelines for the academic year 2021-22, when the AICTE had made maths and physics optional for all engineering courses.
Here's all you need to know about the new guidelines.
What are the new guidelines?
In the new guidelines, Maths, Chemistry, and Physics in class XII is not mandatory to apply for certain courses like architecture, biotechnology, packaging technology and fashion technology.
It has also made chemistry in class XII optional for computer science, electrical engineering, and electronic engineering courses.
For which courses are maths and physics mandatory?
Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering – all have Physics and Maths mandatory at 10+2 level.
While at least 14 other courses including Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Energy engineering have PCM mandatory at class 12 level.
What is the additonal seat allocation for "gifted and talented" students?
“Two supernumerary seats shall be accorded by AICTE in its approved institutions for empowering gifted and talented students to seek admissions against these seats, which will provide a motivating and unique opportunity for such students in line with NEP recommendations,” the document reads, referring to the National Education Policy.
The document added – “AICTE shall devise norms for selection of gifted & talented students under supernumerary quota and final admission shall be approved by AICTE.”
Students who have reportedly won national and international accolades, those who have represented their state and country in scientific competitions, will be categorised under this.
What was the rationale behind making maths and physics non-mandatory last year?
While the technical education regulator had justified its move saying that it would encourage interdisciplinary education, it had drawn criticism with many educators saying that basic knowledge of both the subjects are necessary for most engineering courses.
Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat had gone on to calling the move "disastrous" remarking that it will "deteriorate" the standard of education.
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