New Delhi: All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has made the class 12 subjects mathematics and physics optional for taking admission in engineering courses. Until now students were required to pass in Maths and Physics along with one of the Chemistry/ Biotechnology/ Biology/Technical Vocational subjects.
AICTE took the decision while making the new ‘Approval Process Handbook’ for 2021-22 session. The recently released handbook says, “the students have to pass Class 12 with any three of the: Physics /Mathematics / Chemistry / Computer Science / Electronic science/Information Technology / Biology / Informatics Practices / Biotechnology/Technical vocational subject / Agriculture / Engineering Graphics/ Business Studies or Entrepreneurship” to get admission in one of the courses.
The handbook also says, “The universities will offer suitable bridge courses such as mathematics, physics, engineering drawing for students coming from diverse backgrounds to achieve learning outcomes of the programme.”
Unreserved category students should have a minimum of 45 per cent marks in Class 12 in the three subjects chosen from above. Whereas, reserved category students are required to score a minimum of 40 per cent marks.
AICTE has taken this move in line with the National Education Policy to bring flexibility in the eligibility criteria.
The new amendments by AICTE have already received numerous criticisms as class 12 mathematics is considered the foundation for engineering. According to various experts, bridge course will not be able to replace class 12th mathematics as it is only a remedial course, and the engineering curriculum has mathematics till the fifth semester. Also, various emerging courses like data science and artificial intelligence would require a huge amount of understanding of mathematics.