The students appearing for various common entrance examinations this year can heave a sigh of relief as there would be common counseling for admission for the academic year 2014-15. According to Prof. L Venugopala Reddy, Chairman of the State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), the schedule announced to conduct the counseling and admissions will go unaltered even if the state is split into two on June 2nd.
This means EAMCET, ICET, ECET, Ed.CET, PECET, LAWCET and PGECET will have a state wide counseling and the seats will be filled up as per the existing norms.
"Conducting common entrance examinations next year will depend on the decisions of both the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It should be common even next year unless there is any change of mind," Prof. L V Reddy felt. As per the EAMCET Act, 25 per cent of weightage of Intermediate marks shall be given to the test. Even in the new state, this has to continue as any change would be strongly resisted by student community. So far, JNTU-H has been successfully conducting the test and if both the governments agree, it would continue the work in the same vein.
As far as EAMCET is concerned, the new government in residual state of Andhra Pradesh will have to decide whether to take the help of JNTUH or not. With regard to POLYCET, no such bar is there and both the states can hold tests of their choice or come to a mutual agreement on the common test.
Meanwhile, the APSCHE, which is the central body of Higher Education in the state, will be bifurcated before June 2nd. "Although there is a provision that it can remain in force for ten years, as per the guidelines of the government, the council will be divided. The functioning of institutions for both the states will be monitored simultaneously for sometime before a separate mechanism is being established in both the states," Prof. Venugopala Reddy explained. The council completes 25 years of existence this year and is planning to bring out a souvenir listing out services it rendered in the past two decades.