Directors of NITs Recommend Scrapping Direct Admission Scheme for Offshore Students
- Directors of various NITs have expressed their disproval over the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme.
- The NIT Council claimed that qualifying in Scholastic Aptitude under DASA scheme was easier than JEE Mains examination.
Now, international students might find it difficult to secure admission to National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Directors of various NITs have expressed their disproval over the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme. The DASA scheme helps non-resident Indians, foreign nationals and persons of Indian origin in gaining admission in various NITs across the country. The students from India have to qualify in JEE Mains examination to get admission to NITs. On the other hand, foreign nationals can be admitted based on their Scholastic Aptitude Test scores.
The Directors of NITs at a recent NIT Council meeting chaired by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar raised the issue regarding the DASA scheme. During the meeting, the directors claimed that getting admission through DASA scheme was easier than qualifying in JEE Mains examination. As a result, students who get admission through DASA scheme are academically weak and were not able to cope with the academic pressure at NITs.
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During the meeting, the Directors of NITs also raised the issue regarding the tuition fee hike for the students who come under Children of Indian Workers in Gulf (CIWG) category. The directors also claimed that many workers in such countries were not able to pay the prescribed fee due to lack of financial resources. As per DASA scheme, the prescribed fee at NITs is $8,000 per year, i.e., 5.14 lakh.
One of the senior officials revealed that the council had decided that the students with central parental income could pay Rs. 1.25 lakh at par with Indian students. Students who do not come under this criterion have to pay $8,000. However, the HRD Ministry will decide the level of income for the students who wish to avail this scheme.
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Until last year, the students who sought admission to NITs under CWIG category paid $700 as the tuition fee for each semester besides $300 as the non-refundable registration fee. However, as per the fresh circular issued by the government, the tuition fee has been hiked to $4,000, i.e., Rs. 2.57 lakh for each semester.
The latest circular issued by the government regarding fee hike enraged the parents. They claimed that they could not afford such a steep hike.