An Urgent Need: Reforms in examination

Amid the NEET controversy, now educationalists are in a view that the entire testing and examination system needs significant reforms. While preparing their tests, psychologists use a term known as ‘predictive validity’, which refers to a test that is valid if the results correlate with future behaviour. For instance, if any test does show that a person is a good leader then her behavior must correlate to the results of the test in the workplace too. Now the predictive validity of the tests is questionable with such controversies about whether such tests are measuring what they purport to measure. 

For various controversial reasons, we got 67 toppers in the NEET examination this year. Not only in medical exams but lack of seats and gradual inflation of aspirants has become common now. We are lacking the required medical seats that can fulfil the doctor-population ratio which is required in society. After such problems were raised with the examination and the Supreme Court’s statement which questioned its “sanctity”, now students are questioning how viable it is to believe the testing agencies of government.  

Also, institutions such as CBSE when conducting its exams, generally have a mixture of objective and subjective question papers are visible. It is to check the holistic abilities of the student. However, now it is also a questionable fact that how much predictive validity, just objective question papers or subjective papers in DU have? How viable it is to say now that a person scoring good marks on this paper will prove herself as a talented candidate?

Problems with just objective or subjective question papers 

Especially in the disciplines of humanities and social sciences, the question papers are completely subjective at Delhi University. Exams of NTA inclusive of NEET and CUET are completely objective papers. Relying solely on just one format of paper does possess a lot of problems. Such as: – 

1. How is the subjective and diversity of knowledge checked when we just have objective question papers? 
2. How shall we ensure the fundamentals are clear when we do not have a single objective question in the question paper? 
3. Why are students in the view that filling the pages in exams, especially in DU will provide more marks? 
4. How practical is the reference list provided for DSCs of honours courses where it is generally observed that one semester is not of complete 6 months? 
5. Isn’t it viable to argue that guesswork plays a significant role too in objective questions? When we have four options there is a 25 percent probability of one option being correct even in random guesses.  
6. How inclusive is today’s examination pattern? 

Voice of reforms 

In 1948 Radha Krishnanan Commission postulated that “If we are to suggest one single reform in University Education, it should be that of examinations.” 

The NPERC states that “Examination reform cannot be construed as an isolated activity to bring about process orientation. It has to go as a package along with reform in the structuring of courses and flexibility for students to avail of the restructured courses according to their convenience.” 

Thus, it is very apparent here that voices are there in Favour of the need for reforms. We have to make the examinations more inclusive and as per the market demands. It is an unfortunate situation for us that educated students are finding it difficult to fit themselves in the market. 

Suggestive reforms 

We need a change and direction here. The following changes can help us to make these examinations more viable. 

1. Inclusion of industries in setting up examination patterns. Finding jobs in the cluttered market seems to be difficult as the standards are not equivalent to it. If we want an employed youth, the process framing of the curriculum itself must have the contribution of industries and the required skill set. 
2. We must have both objective and subjective patterns of examination to make it more inclusive and diverse. 
3. We need a separate committee to examine the viability of the present examination system. 
4. There is a need for decentralization of political power in the education sector. Thus, the reforms can be implemented from grass root levels 
5. The paper leaks and exam mafias do require ‘treatment’ from the government. It is very unfortunate for students to see their efforts vanish as a result. 
6. Students need more transparency in the evaluation process. 

Thus, in a nutshell, we can conclude that it is high time to make the examination system much more viable. We need an accurate, viable and transparent examination system that can provide a level playing field for everyone. 

References

Youth library, Freepik images

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/examination-reforms-in-india/45224#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20reform%20the,commission%20too%20repeated%20these%20reforms.