Reflections on XIIth Board Examination Results
The eagerly awaited XIIth results are out. The
results are no different from the previous years- as usual girls have done
better, Chennai once again has put up the best performance with a pass
percentage of 90.59, (though last year, the pass percentage of Chennai was
91.32), pass results in government schools have improved and high scoring marks
all over India have scaled new heights.
The mad scramble for admissions to colleges has begun and the eligibility
cut-off for the elite colleges as in the previous years will be 96-99%. Anxiety
is writ large on all those young faces whose marks range between 90 and 95, having
failed to reach the toppers’ scores by a margin of 3-4 %. With limited number
of seats available, their dreams of joining the elite colleges shall remain only
dreams. As for the under 90s, the prospects of joining second rung colleges
that are next in order of merit are bright. The disappointment for that large
number of students who have managed between 70 and 80% is too grim to be
written about. But for the rest who have
cleared the XIIth Boards with less percentage, there are umpteen colleges
–that are colleges only in name-who have a lower eligibility bar, besides open
learning institutions that have a gargantuan space for any number of entrants
in search of a degree. In the University of Delhi, the number of seats
available in colleges is 54,000 while its Open School of Learning is open to
more than a lakh of students. There is also the Indira Gandhi National Open
University and a few recognized Distance learning Centres to admit all those
who are left behind mainstream college education. In this respect higher
education in India attempts to satisfy at least quantitatively, if not qualitatively.
The same tilt in favour of quantity over quality is evidenced in the school
Board examinations.
The high scores in the Board examinations raise two
pertinent issues that pose a challenge to college admission. They relate to examination and evaluation. The number of students who took the XIIth
Boards – both as regular and private students- is about 81,000 and pass
percentage is 80.9%. In terms of arithmetic calculations, a little more than
64,000 students have cleared the examinations this year. Since CBSE caters to
all regions within India and a few Indian schools abroad- especially in the
Middle East, it is a creditable achievement. But such a result is possible only
because the papers are set in such a way that even the below average student
can manage to pass. Most of the questions are for two marks barring a couple
that are marked out of five. No wonder, the pass percentage is high and higher
is the number of students scoring over 90%.
The truth is-with no disparagement intended about the merit
of the high scoring percenters- the Board examinations do not test the real
intelligence or high order thinking of the students. It is obvious the Boards
are more mindful of the below average students passing the examinations than testing
students’ knowledge, understanding and their analytical and logical skills. This
is not intended to haul the CBSE over the coal as one of the main objectives of
CBSE is to focus on the lowest common denominator of the large number of
students who can answer simple questions. When the students after school join
college, where they have to write long essays and assignments, even the 90
percenters find it difficult to score more than a modest 60-70% or even less
than that. As for the others, their attempt at university examinations is
pathetic. Thus the disconnect between school learning and college education has
disastrous consequences for a majority of students entering the university
portals.
The second issue relates to evaluation which varies from
region to region. For the last so many years, Tamilnadu has topped the
Boards. What makes Chennai schools
different from the rest of the country? Is it that Tamilnadu students are
brighter than the rest or are the Chennai teachers far superior to the rest in
the country? It is not that one doubts the credentials of Chennai schools,
teachers and students, but no one including CBSE has analyzed the reasons
behind the spectacular performance of Chennai year after year. If Chennai schools
have distinct quality pedagogy, why can’t that be replicated in other
schools? Or is this high scoring and
high pass percentage phenomena anything to do with evaluation? Are the Chennai
teachers more liberal in marking than teachers elsewhere? Has the CBSE tried to
find out what distinguishes Tamilnadu schools? Has it ever taken out the answer
sheets of students at random from different regions and compared the
evaluation?
Quantity versus quality is an issue that dogs all
educational reforms in the country. With RTE in place, it is imperative to see
that no student is denied schooling and denied the opportunity to realize and
utilize his capabilities to lead the life that he or she values. Hence the
present CBSE system of examination and evaluation will help our young men and
women to be educated and use their learning to realize their potential to be
gainfully employed. But this does not ensure quality learning. It is time for
reflection and action.
CBSE should have two sets of question papers for the XIIth
Boards similar to the ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels
in UK. The difference is, unlike UK where the O levels are at the end of the Xth,
here both the options should be available only in the XIIth class.
The present set of question papers as they are, should be continued as it
guarantees a minimum qualification for employment while another set of advanced
papers with essay type questions should be offered to those who wish to pursue
higher studies in the Universities. The latter must satisfy the minimum entrance
qualification required by the universities. Those who wish to pursue university
education will have to opt for the advanced level while all others seeking to
pursue vocational degree courses can opt for the former. This is one way to
make school education integrative both of quality and quantity. This should not
be mistaken for discrimination of students as they are given the freedom to opt
for any one of them. Accordingly they shall be taught and trained to take up
the examinations of their choice.
It is best to recall Amartya Sen’s theory of Capability Egalitarianism where the capability
approach advocates that the evaluative space should be that of capabilities.
Democratization of education should not be limited to making education available
to all, but to be expanded to include the right of every individual to raise his
bar and to be given the opportunity to realize his attainable outcome. One of
the weaknesses of democracy is that in the context of equality and equity it
does not have room for merit. All efforts in our country is geared towards
LCD(Lowest Common Denominator) which in itself is a good thing, but fails to
provide space for HCF (Highest Common Factor)- also called Greatest Common
Measure(GCM) or Greatest Common Divisor(GCD). The focus cannot always be only
at the lower rungs at the cost of merit and quality. This is particularly true
of democracy in education. It is an opportune moment for educationists to
institute reforms at the school level to synergize quality and quantity, to
ensure reconciliation at the University level of these two imponderables of equity
and merit. The Delors report on Education presented to UNESCO in 1994-95 and
the Annual Report of the World Bank have expressed the four pillars of learning
and development for the 21st Century as learning to be, learning to know,
learning to do and learning to live together which is basically the aim of education- to develop skilled and educated individuals and set up Knowledge and Research Institutions,
laboratories and Networks that will work with other networks involving trade, companies, research centres and manufacturers.
Can Indian academics with
their wisdom and vast experience alter the dynamics of education to bring about
a new ideology of learning in our society! I wish we can Obama-like say “Yes,
We can”
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