JEE rank to ensure entry to Navy engineering courses

Aakash Chaudhry

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As the Indian Navy equips itself with best-in-class and technologically superior armada, the qualifying standards for making it onboard these state-of-the-art warships has also now increased. In its latest announcement pertaining to the issue, the Indian Navy has declared that it will shortlist candidates for its Plus II BTech Cadet Entry Scheme from 2018 onwards entirely on their JEE (Main) ranking. 

The move is a step away from its previous Plus II criteria, and is an effort to ensure that only high calibre candidates appear for the Service Selection Board (SSB) and secure entry into the prestigious Naval Academy. Considering the change in mandate, students preparing for January 2018 SSB interview will now have to appear in the JEE (Main) exam in April 2017.

The former assessment technique had caused multiple state boards to overrate the percentage of their students, thus providing them an undue advantage in the recruitment process. Doing so limited the scope of high-potential candidates with comparatively lower percentages, while offering more opportunities to students favoured by a biased marking system. This inhibited the Indian Navy from harnessing the best talent available across the nation to augment the ranks of its officers.

Impact

As the decision comes into effect, there will be multiple advantages to the Indian Navy as well as to potential candidates. It has been witnessed that even after clearing the exam a substantial amount of candidates are eliminated in the initial screening at the SSB. The decision will primarily boost the quality of the candidates that are eligible for SSB, thus paving the way for a more competitive environment during the entire selection. Moreover, doing so will standardise the quality of candidates appearing for the SSB interview and training. 

This will not just ensure optimum utilisation of the available resources, but will also see to it that candidates competing during the SSB have matching intellectual levels. 

The prospect of entry through JEE into the Indian Navy will also offer a back-up plan to the students specifically preparing for the competitive exams. This is going to further increase the level of competitiveness within the Indian Navy through direct entry. 

There will, however, also be direct consequences of the decision. Earlier, students solely relied on their PCM percentage for entering the Navy and hence focused entirely on their board preparation. The students who aim to join the Indian Navy will now have to take on the excess burden of preparing for JEE as well. Being one of the most sought-after competitive examinations, cracking JEE will not be an easy task, as it not just demands proficiency in respective subjects, but also requires an in-depth conceptual understanding of the subject. 

Given that it is also the preliminary common entrance exam for premier engineering colleges across the country, doing well in JEE can be immensely challenging for students who have not been acquainted with the training mechanism for such exams. 

But looking at the larger picture, this is inevitably going to improve the situation that the Indian Navy is facing today. This fundamental change will ensure the entry of only the best candidates who have the right aptitude and attitude as required for the job. Furthermore, it will offer more opportunities to the JEE as well as Naval aspirants, and will equip the Indian Navy with quality officers that will not just be able to handle the modern state-of-the-art fleet, but also the future warships of the country’s naval force.

— The writer is Director, Aakash Educational Services Pvt. Ltd.