Those Failing in IIT-B Eng Test Will Have to Undergo a Semester-Long Bridge Course
Mumbai: Cracking the grueling Joint Entrance Exam is not
enough, it seems. For Engineering aspirants, who head to the Indian Institute of
Technology-Bombay will now have to take a test in English proficiency even before
first semester classes begin. But that’s not all. Those who fail to clear
the test will have to undergo a fulltime, semester-long Bridge course. This, in
turn, will push back their dreams of Graduating from the Tech School by six months.
This is the first time that an IIT will test student’s knowledge of English on the
lines of American and European Universities. It has been our experience that some
JEE entrants have such a severe deficiency in English that their academic performance
suffers in the first semester. This affects their confidence during their subsequent
academic career at the Institute, said an official communication.
Officials at IIT-B said, the test would be elementary in nature and students were
not required to take additional coaching for it. Students who score less than 20%
in the test and have a total JEE score of less than or equal to 150 will have to
undergo the Bridge course. "We will put them through an intensive preparatory course
in English, Physics, Chemistry and Math", said an IIT-B faculty member.
It is only after the end of this six-month course that regular Engineering classes
will begin for them. So, while one set of students will enter the last leg of their
first year, another batch will start its Engineering lectures only after the Bridge
course. Such students will not be allowed to simultaneously register for advanced
courses in Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics until they pass the Bridge course,
said the note.
Courtesy: Times of India
