New Delhi (India): While it is ideal to have a unified admission test for admission to higher education for all students, it is a great challenge, considering the huge diversity of education systems in the country.

The underlying principle for having such a common admission test system is motivated by the principle of inclusion for collaborative excellence rather than exclusion through competitive excellence.

The challenge becomes formidable in view of the fact that some higher education systems in the country are under control of Central Government while others are either controlled by state governments or owned by private entities.

Compelling the state owned and controlled and privately owned institutions is ruled out in view of federal nature of our polity and due to the fact that education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. It is impossible to mandate the states and colleges to adopt such a uniform system and therefore states need lot of persuation. Similar situation prevails in universities also since they are autonomous entities and admissions are presently governed by the statutes and ordinances of the respective universities.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari, in a written reply to a question, in the Rajya Sabha.