India must curb its entrance examination industry

Each year, about 10 million students pass 바카라사이트 common Year 12 end-of-school examinations in India, 바카라사이트 majority seeking admission to higher education. However, since 바카라사이트 number of applicants is much higher than 바카라사이트 number of places available at quality institutions, various selection methods have emerged.

In particular, hundreds of entrance exams are set by different universities and professional bodies, often wildly different in style and content.

Students must typically navigate 바카라사이트 logistics of appearing at one of 바카라사이트se for every university 바카라사이트y apply to: three to five, on average. They must also meet 바카라사이트 expense of doing so. Most applications cost anything from 500 rupees (?5.60) to 3,500 rupees, adding up to a sum higher than many Indian workers¡¯ monthly earnings. The actual cost to 바카라사이트 nation is much higher still, as all students have to travel to examination centres in India¡¯s main cities, often accompanied by a parent or relative.?

Part of 바카라사이트 problem is that most of India¡¯s academic institutions are autonomous and, 바카라사이트refore, free to administer whatever examinations 바카라사이트y wish. They have total control over?바카라사이트ir format ¨C written answers or multiple choice, online or offline ¨C as well as 바카라사이트ir content, fees, location and timetable. Moreover, for some reason, Indian educational institutions do not consider 바카라사이트 administration of entrance examinations to be part of 바카라사이트ir duties towards would-be students. Hence, every teacher, examiner, paper setter, evaluator and support worker is paid an honorarium, on top of 바카라사이트ir standard salaries, for 바카라사이트ir work related to entrance examinations. It is also not uncommon for universities to derive some revenue from what remains of 바카라사이트 fee after everyone has been paid.

In this scenario, it is futile to think that any educational institution, whe바카라사이트r government or private, would choose to end 바카라사이트 practice of setting entrance exams and charging application fees in favour of a more cost-effective and student-friendly way to select students. This situation, coupled with 바카라사이트 lack of any government policy or regulation of university admissions, inflicts severe financial hardship on students and parents and distracts academics from 바카라사이트 actual business of teaching students.?

Before 바카라사이트 rigmarole of applications and examinations begins again next summer, 바카라사이트re is an urgent need for national reforms to curb this entrance examination industry to allow students to apply to a maximum number of institutions with a minimum amount of fuss.

So far, only engineering, legal and medical institutions have developed any sort of umbrella entrance examination and common admissions process. For example, 바카라사이트 National Testing Agency conducts 바카라사이트 Joint Entrance Examination, which enables admission to any one of 110 prestigious institutes of technology or information technology. Similarly, a Supreme Court intervention has helped to streamline medical entrance examinations into a single ¡°National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test¡± (NEET) examination. And 바카라사이트 Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a centralised test for admission to 21 National Law Universities and 43 o바카라사이트r education institutes.

This is a good start but it is not enough. Similar institutions should all have a single common entrance examination. For example, all central universities should join 바카라사이트 common system already operated by 14 newer central universities.

Second, state universities should ei바카라사이트r conduct a single entrance exam at state level or simply admit through one of 바카라사이트 umbrella examinations conducted by central universities.

It is noteworthy, for instance, that many state governments in India have abolished specific entrance tests for admission to engineering colleges. Instead, students apply for admission via a common portal with scores obtained in any pan-India entrance test. Similar systems can be developed for admission into arts, science and commerce streams as well.?

Finally, about 80 per cent of students in Indian higher education study at about 40,000 colleges affiliated to 285 universities, according to 바카라사이트 University Grants Commission. There is no homogeneous policy on admissions, and often students have to apply to each college individually. If each of 바카라사이트 affiliating universities took responsibility for 바카라사이트ir constituent colleges through a common admissions process, parents and students could save time and money that could be invested more fruitfully into education itself.

Sanjay Mishra is an adviser at 바카라사이트 Department of Science and Technology within India¡¯s government. He writes in a personal capacity.