Tamil Nadu revises eligibility criteria for engineering admissions

Chennai: As per the All India Council for Technical Education's (AICTE) guidelines, the Tamil Nadu government has revised eligibility criteria for students from general category and reserved category. The government order has increased the eligibility marks for SC/ST candidates from just pass to 40 per cent marks.

According to the new government order passed by higher education secretary Mangat Ram Sharma, the OC candidates have to score a minimum of 45 per cent marks in the relevant subjects to become eligible for admissions in B.E., B.Tech courses. Students from all other reserved categories including MBC, BC, SC and ST have to score a minimum of 40 per cent marks.

The state government has prescribed 50 per cent average marks for students from OC category and 45 per cent for students for BC students and 40 per cent for MBC and 35 per cent marks for SC/ST category students to get admission in engineering courses.

But, AICTE has revised minimum eligibility criteria in 2011-12 and the state government has challenged the revision in courts. Following several rounds of litigations, the Supreme Court has dismissed the special leave petition filed by TN.

In view of the Supreme Court's order, the Commissioner of Technical Education has requested the government to issue the GO fixing the minimum percentage of marks to admit students in B.E., B.Tech courses from 2019-20. Hence, the government has revised the eligibility criteria and passed the order.