Many students hoping to do MCA have received a rude shock this year as they have been told they are ineligible to appear for Tancet (Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test) and asked to return the hall tickets issued to them to take the test. Strangely, they include some Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA) students, who had expected to be the most qualified to do an MCA.
But to their dismay they have been told a degree in computer applications does not matter and they should have studied mathematics at the Plus-2 level to qualify for postgraduation in the subject they have spent years studying in college. The students are predictably upset.
“I studied commerce with computer science in Plus-2 before I did my BCA. I have been preparing for Tancet at a private centre for the past year and now all of a sudden I have been asked to return the hall ticket. My dreams are shattered and I cannot appear for other entrance tests too as they have already been held,” said one angry student, P. Suresh Kumar.
The students say its unfair they should be treated this way when till last year, AU had allowed those with either maths at the Plus-2 level or any degree with maths in it to appear for Tancet.
“We have now been told that we should either opt for MBA or get a refund of the fee paid for Tancet before Thursday,” said an MCA aspirant, who could hardly believe it when he got a call from the Government College of Technology (GCT), where he was to appear for Tancet, to return his hall ticket. “How can someone who has done Plus-2 in maths be better qualified than someone who has done BCA with maths at the degree level?” he asked.
Parents like T.S. Periyaiah, too are angry at the sudden change in eligibility for MCA. “There should be advance notice so that the students either do not take the course or prepare for it appropriately,” he said.
When contacted, GCT principal, R. Sundararajan said that applications from students who had done business maths had been collected for the first few days. “But we had to stop this as we need to adhere to AICTE norms, which demand maths at the Plus-2 level to qualify for MCA . The last date for accepting applications has now been extended to February 25,” he said.
