New admission norms from next year

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, June 30: Education Minister M.A. Baby has said that the government will give effect to changes in professional college admission procedure from next year after wide-ranging discussions on the proposed changes.

Replying to a submission by A.P. Anil Kumar (Congress) in the Assembly on Monday, Mr. Baby said the expert committee constituted to suggest changes in the present system had proposed 50 per cent weightage for the qualifying examination marks and limiting of the number of chances for non-SC/ST candidates to two. The suggestions were generally welcome, but would be implemented only after discussions with all concerned, he added.

The Education Minister said the recommendation that there must be 50 per cent weightage for qualifying examination marks could be implemented only after making the Plus Two examinations fool-proof. The government would also consider providing aspiring candidates online tutorial service to prepare for the entrance examination.

There was also a proposal that poor students must be given scholarship to prepare for the entrance examinations, he said.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan told Manjalamkuzhi Ali (CPI-M) that the NoRKA-Roots director board had constituted a committee to study the feasibility of setting up schools following CBSE syllabus exclusively for the children of Non-Resident Keralites.

Medical varsity

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy told Therambil Ramakrishnan (Congress) that a policy decision of the LDF was necessary to finalise the location to set up the proposed medical university. The government wished to set up the university during the current financial year.

Fisheries Minister S. Sarma told Anathalavattom Anandan (CPI-M) that the Muthalappozhi fishing harbour would be completed during the current year. The help of experts from the IIT, Chennai, and other Central institutions was being sought to rectify defects, if any.

Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan told K. Sivadasan Nair (Congress) that the government was taking measures to upgrade five Industrial Training Institutes to the status of centres of excellence. The ITI at Chenneerkkara in Pathanamthitta district would be upgraded with the help of the National Thermal Power Corporation.
(Source : The Hindu)