With the MHRD,
coming up with a common entrance test and new ranking procedure for
undergraduate engineering courses , a wind of conflict have once again
entangled the students, professors ,directors and senates of IITs ,Ministry and
the concerned ones after two and a half years of considering the issue at
first. IIT council is claiming that the intention behind the decision is to
lessen the stress on the students because of multiple exams. Should a student
not be asked about it first?
In fact it’ll even worsen the situation, as the student will
have the pressure of performing in all the three; board exams, JEE main and JEE
advanced to secure a rank which should be competitive enough for entering in any
prestigious college of the country. As per the present system, if a brilliant
student could not perform well in JEE by chance, he or she can get admission in
NITs or in any reputable centrally funded institutes by fetching good marks in
AIEEE or other engineering entrance exams.
Secondly, the members of councils with the opinion that the importance of the schooling system has to be revived in larger public interest by giving due weightage to the performance of students in Class XII Board examinations and at the same time maintain the credibility and integrity of admissions to higher institutes of technical education, should know that both conditions cannot be achieved simultaneously unless the standard of the school education in India is meliorated through sustained efforts..
The most stunning facts which impelled me to write this
article are:
- Mr Kapil Sibbal and many more from the council, the
‘self-proclaimed stakeholders’ of improving education quality in colleges,
consider inclusion of board marks in screening to be a solution for putting a
halt on large number of coaching centres emerging everywhere.
- According to them, It’ll also make students more
concerned towards board exams, which is essential for a good academic
curriculum.
- The statement by IIT kgp director, prof. Damodar
Acharya that he is agree with the proposal of council as students with better
Board performance will now get a chance to get into IITs. These students shall
perform better than students who have cracked the JEE with poorer school
performance. ( how?)
- HRD Minister
Kapil Sibbal claimed on TV that he is proud that the proposals have been passed
without dissent.
How the people living with their
own pre-assumptions can decide the fate of lakhs of aspirants and prestigious
technological institutes?
Considering the first three points I must say that any student who has
taken coaching for JEE at an average coaching institute will easily tell the
story. People mulling over the number of students clearing JEE through coaching
should be aware of the fact that coaching institutes not only sharpen the
concepts which are essential to attempt JEE questions but also provide a
competitive environment which makes students capable of passing any engineering
entrance exam. They also measure the performance of students by conducting
periodic evaluation tests and through these tests students also get to know
their mistakes. Some of them even provide IITian and or NITian teachers who can guide the students in a best possible
way.
On the other hand, good marks can
easily be attained in board exams, simply by mugging some repetitive questions
coming in the exams over the years or learning an artistic way of writing the
answer. Neither the teachers in the school give stress on the conceptual
learning nor the books provided by council of board exams are so advanced which
enable students to cope with the JEE standard. I have a friend of mine who had
topped the state in board and couldn’t even get a seat in an average college in
my hometown through AIEEE.
The inclusion of 40% weightage of
boards in the screening process too will be a malpractice because of huge
amount of disparity in state board exams which cannot be covered even after the
normalisation. For eg. Some areas within the state are known for rampant
copying and some are not. Practical exams are travesty in some schools of the
states. Obviously, these schools will become crowded with the students, for
getting marks, as high as possible leading to further deterioration of the
education system.
As far as coaching centres are concerned even
after giving weightage to the board marks, students will approach the coaching
centres which can provide them coaching for both in boards as well as in JEE
main and JEE advanced. At last, the ones who will pay the cost, will be the
students preparing hard for JEE and the IITs who have been maintaining their
status for a very long time through a credible and efficient system of producing
brilliant minds of the country. So instead of lowering the standard of
institutes, Mr. Sibbal should shift his concern to the wretched condition of
government schools of India which is the root cause of the issue.
Coming to the last point, perhaps
5 out of the 7 IIT senates contending for maintaining their status quo, IIT
Kanpur having determined to go with its own exam, IIT- Delhi Alumni
Association’s decision to file a PIL petition against the new JEE and All India
IIT faculty federation virtually rejecting the common test, don’t count as
dissent for the Union minister. He can be a good lawyer and can boast his
decision with the support of 5 directors of IITs out of the 7 but the authenticity
lies in letting the true stakeholders, who are students, alumni, senate,
faculty and future aspirants, take the decision through mutual agreement.