EXAMINATION REFORMS
 

Dr. H.S. Singha, Chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi - (24th September, 1990)

- The suggestion to replace annual public examination at all stages of education by continuous internal assessment has been made by various Commissions and Committees, but it is too idealistic in the social and academic atmosphere in which schools and colleges are functioning in India, to be implemented. Universities that had introduced internal assessment had generally to withdraw it. What is in need in the present situation in India is a judicious combination of internal assessment based on comprehensive and continuous evaluation in certain aspects which are not amenable to group testing and traditional public examinations in major scholastic areas.

- The monstrosity of public examinations may be reduced by innovations like giving restricted autonomy to schools to rank order the students in each subject and to standardise the marks on the basis of a norming test administered by the Board to a selected sample from each school.

Shri Tarun Kumar Raha, General Secretary, Calcutta University Teachers' Association, Calcutta, Letter dated (1.10.90)

- The perspective paper had adopted the suggestions on examination reforms contained in the NPE, 1986 model. Evaluation is a part of teaching. If properly conducted It can help evaluate the degree of

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success of teaching also. Whether this should consist of continuous assessment and/or public examination will depend upon the grades of the students and the nature of the curriculum.

- Starting from the high school level there should be public examination conducted jointly by a group of schools under a particular community complex. At the college level, a group of colleges from different community clusters may as well combine to conduct the examination. Different groups will however be free to decide their own methods of evaluation.

- Letting users, Government agencies etc. to conduct tests might have a serious negative effect on the course material Itself. They might try to influence the contents of the course material towards their needs ignoring the need of the society.

Dr. H.S. Srivastava, Prof. and Head, NCERT, New Delhi, Letter dated 25th September, 1990

- The implications of the suggestion to have semesterisation and modular courses will have to be critically examined. If this is accepted the curriculum, the syllabus and the instructional material will also have to undergo a drastic change which will not only be physical, but also conceptual. Courses of study which could stand out as independent units will be required to be designed and also the instructional material developed for them.

- One of the conceived purposes of semesterisation and modular courses is facilitation of mobility to enable students to complete course requirements at their own pace and not necessarily in a fixed time. In view of the concept of compulsory general

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education for all up to the class X level, there is in fact no need for any mobility to be ensured at this stage.

- The suggestion regarding continuous comprehensive evaluation needs to be clarified much more liberally.

Professor Dr. Omkar N. Wakhlu, Consulting Engineering, Buchwara, Old Gangribal Road, Srinagar-190001 - Letter dated 30.9.90

- The suggestion made in the report that the examination "reform package may be tried out on pilot basis to begin with" is not appropriate. It is desirable to discuss the package with all and seek some minor modifications. Then the system must be changed in one go.

Prof. S.P. Mukherjee, Dean, Faculty of Science, University College of Science, Calcutta, Letter dated the 1st October, 1990.

- The existing system of examinations (which takes the form of continuous evaluation in some cases) has been dubbed - somewhat wrongly - as totally unreliable. And the system suggested in clause (f) on page 11 may make the learning process assessment - ridden and may invite many administrative problems to colleges/ universities which do not currently conduct any entrance tests. Also some measures should be suggested for developing reliable tests for this purpose.

Shri G.D. Sharma, Secretary, Bharatiya Sikhan Mandal, Orissa, Letter dated 2.10.90

- In National Policy of Education - 1986 suggestions were made for valuation throughout the year In unit system. Training was imparted

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to teachers for this. But it was not made effective. It appears it is difficult to implement this method of examination with a corrupt system that we have in the field of education. So this Is to be examined carefully. How far it is desirable to hand over the teachers the responsibility of valuation of students?

19th Annual Conference of Council of Boards of School Education in India, 23, Ashiana Apartments, Pitam Pura, Delhi - (11.10.90)

- Boards of School Education should work towards the abolition of public examinations eventually, but this cannot be done unless Continuous Comprehensive Internal Evaluation (CCIE) is institutionalised and the credibility of this is ensured. CCIE should include both scholastic and non-scholastic areas of curriculum. Before one reaches that situation, the present examination system has to be improved. One of the most important reforms which may be introduced by all the Boards by 1995 is the introduction of grading system, disaggregated declaration of examination results and doing away with the system which declares results in the form of pass and fail.

Dr. Khem Singh Gill, Vice-chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (1.10.90)

- Whereas semesterisation of course of study is good, an internal-cum- external system of assessment will be better.

Shri M. Shatrugna, HIG/B-1/F13, Housing Board Flats, Bagh Lingampalli, Hyderabad (9th October, 1990)

- Though a system of comprehensive and continuous internal assessment, both oral and written, is to be welcomed at the school

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level, one single examination at the end of the school leaving stage Is necessary as that will enable the school leavers to go either for a job or higher education. Entrance test at every (or some) stage(s) of education is unscientific and out dated. Experience especially at the professional course admission level has shown that the procedure is used more as an elimination process rather than as a test to select the best.

Ms. Anita Mathew, President, Navy Wives Welfare Association, INS Mandovi, Verem, Goa-403109 (4.10.1990)

- There should be a far more fair system evolved to the present day exam system that encourages all children to be `robots' rather than individuals. It is better to follow the credit system as is done in American Schools which gives scope for the flowering of individual talent and which will also automatically lead to weeding out those who are vocationally oriented and those who can go on to academics.

Shri V.G. Hegde, Secretary, BNDSS HM'S and COMP PUC P's Association and Principal, D.V.V. Gujarati Shala, N.K.S. English High School, Majestic Circle, Bangalore-9

- The idea of comprehensive and continuous evaluation is really a welcome feature. But the effectiveness and implementation depends on the enforcing personality that is the teacher. It Is our experience that many teachers who have been recruited have come without any aptitude and in many cases merits have been ignored. There should be a system wherein teachers who do not do justice would be punished and those who show excellence would be rewarded.

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Shri L.N. Sharma, T.G.T. (Sc.A), GSS Camp. School, Raj Garh Colony, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi 110031 (September 28, 1990)

- The suggestion to have the teacher himself evaluate as-well-as prepare the syllabus is a dangerous propostion because it will affect uniformity of education standard and the entire educational process will be concentrated in a single person which is undesirable.

Shri A.K. Panda, Harijan Adibbasi Dina Daridra Nari Seba Sangh, Vill/PO Bachhipur, Via Brahmangaon, Distt. Balasore, Orissa (29th September, 1990).

- It has not been able to offer a suitable alternative to work as a fool proof safeguard against all the vices of public examination system. Its proposal for introducing internal assessment in place of distance assessment of public examination is fraught with far more serious danger than that involved in public examination system. Impression - fixation and the willful marking up to cover up the lapses and failures of the authorities at the institution level will greatly defeat the very purpose of the system.

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