Why in news?
- The government recently announced the setting up of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
- It also announced a change in the structure of JEE and NEET examinations.
What are these exams for?
- The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) (Mains) is for admission to National Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Information Technology, etc.
- It is also the eligibility to appear for JEE (Advanced) for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology.
- NEET decides admissions to all medical colleges except AIIMS and JIPMER, Puducherry.
What are the proposed changes?
- Exams - The JEE (Mains) and NEET will be conducted twice a year.
- The same student can take these examinations twice a year.
- The two tests would be equated using psychometric methods, standardisation techniques.
- The best of the equated scores would thus be used for the admissions.
- However, the IITs will continue to conduct the JEE (Advanced) and this is likely to be held just once a year.
- NTA - The new National Testing Agency (NTA) would conduct these examinations.
- The NTA will start conducting the JEE (Mains), NEET, UGC NET, CMAT and GPAT examinations from this year itself.
- This would reduce the burden of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
- Computer-based - All these examinations will be computer-based, though not online.
- The papers have to be downloaded at the test centres just before the exam.
- After downloading, the Internet would be disconnected.
- The papers would then be distributed to all candidates through a local server.
- After the exam, the papers would be uploaded to central servers.
- There would be encryption, and this ensures foolproof testing.
- Student-friendly - There would be no examiners and the answers would be fed into the system.
- So a candidate would know her raw score immediately.
- The result would come out after some days to address any possible complaints.
- Examinations will be held on a number of days, with multiple question papers with equal level of difficulty.
- A candidate can choose which date to appear for the exam.
- All the examinations would be held in all the existing languages with no change in syllabus.
- Those who did not have a computer or laptop at home could practise at authorised centres.
What are the benefits?
- NTA - There had been concerns of paper leaks, cheating scandals, outdated syllabus, etc with the CBSE.
- The National Testing Agency is thus likely to address these shortfalls.
- A professional agency could make the selection criteria more objective and assess the candidate's suitability.
- Moreover, curbs on commercialisation can help expand higher education.
- Two tests - Taking the better of the two scores and offering more days on which the exam is held would help the students.
- This may lower the pressure that students encounter and address exam related suicides to an extent.
- Process - Computer-based exam process would bring in more flexibility, less stress and a more transparent process.
- It would be on par with international norms, be student- friendly, open, scientific and leak-proof.
What are the concerns, measures and challenges therein?
- Method The real issue with the entrance system is the examination itself.
- The JEE, NEET or NET should be reduced to a score that counts towards the admission process.
- It should not be the single deciding factor.
- Trust - The government could consider allowing the institutions to design their own entrance criteria.
- But the fundamental issue is the lack of trust based on past years' experiences.
- As is often the case, institutions favour students, take money and grant admission based on criteria other than merit.
- Additionally, innovative cheating methods are evidently adopted across states.
- Institutions - IITs, AIIMS and some medical colleges had taken entrance examination result as one of the inputs for final selection.
- The number of these kinds of trusted institutions could be expanded.
- The list of designated institutions of eminence (now six) could be increased.
- There are hundreds of other medical and engineering colleges that charge humongous amounts.
- There has to be at least three firmly defined criteria, including
- the 10th and 12th board results
- the entrance test score
- a third criteria to assess and make a final selection instead of basing it all on the JEE or NEET
- Computer-based - A computer-based test should not turn into a barrier for rural students.
- Good planning and sufficient fund allocation should allay the concerns with online testing.
- Coaching - The coaching institutes form a sector worth about Rs. 24,000 crore a year.
- Regulation of coaching institutes is essential to ensure that the changes do not result in further exploitation of students.
- Way forward - The entrance examinations level reforms would be meaningful only with a revamped school education system.
- Eventually, measures at improving the learning outcomes should be taken.
Source: The Hindu, Business Standard
