Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Reforms at the level of entrance examinations needed' that was published in Newsband

Reforms at the level of entrance examinations needed

Admission to higher education courses should be based on assessment of aptitude and suitability, and a testing process that is transparent, accessible and fair. A credible national admissions apparatus for professional degree programmes should be created. The two-level Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to technological institutes such as the IITs, NITs and IIITs, and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical courses are steps in this direction.

The decision of the Centre to form a National Testing Agency to conduct these and some other examinations is a progressive move. The expertise of a national agency is preferable. An online aptitude test must be offered two or more times a year. The move to make both JEE (Main) and NEET available twice a year is a good one.  

But any process of reform at the level of entrance examinations can be meaningful only if the school education system is revamped, and learning outcomes are improved. There is no problem for students who want to pursue engineering and economics. Only for students who want to do medicine the available seats are totally inadequate and so many deserving students are denied seats when the country and the whole world is short of doctors.

Government should first standardize the education system in every state of India. People in small villages generally are not capable, seeing the current competition in entrance examinations. For example, students from ICSE board are generally really smart and get excellent scores in competitive examinations. And people say the CBSE is very structured and all. What's the point if we are unable to produce students with quality education with this system? We need to change immediately.

Some are of the opinion that education in India should be transferred to the State List from the Concurrent list. This will enable the states to be fairly independent in dealing with education, including Entrance Tests. According to them, the central government should only take care of Entrance tests for admission to Central institutions. Such an arrangement will considerably ease the needless pressure exerted on education and the associated Entrance examinations for admissions to institutions of higher education. Currently, students are facing enormous hardships and inconveniences in matters of entrance examinations, admissions, etc. This adversity should be mitigated.

Providing students opportunity for admissions two or more times in a year is positive but basic rural school system must be developed with compulsory computer education in order to gear up rural students to utilize the opportunity without difficulty. Multiple exams in single year benefit students. They need not wait for one year. Also this system is more efficient in many ways. It’s a highly welcome measure of giving fair opportunity to the medical education aspirants who could get another chance to make an improved attempt by looking into the past mistakes and win an admission in the medical course. Yet the chances for rural students to clear NEET is murky thanks to the ineffective education they have at primary and at high school level.

National level tests may be restricted to admissions in IITs, AIIMs and other institutions managed by center. The school curriculum has become heavier due to pressure from higher education institutions. In the pyramidical structure of education, curriculum goes up from lower classes and not connected with the needs of higher education. Heaviness of syllabuses will not result in better educated students.