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| EDUCATION CANNOT BE A PLAYFIELD | | | JS Rajput | 6/22/2015 11:24:40 PM |
| The All India Pre- Medical Entrance Test fiasco must trigger a debate on whether it is time to give up centralisation and assign the task to the universities. Malpractices in education have assumed huge proportions. Isn’t it ironical that a solution must emerge from education? The Supreme Court of India has cancelled the All India Pre-Medical Entrance Test, as the information and communication technology generated new practices of inflicting malpractices on a large scale. Large-scale irregularities were initiated from Haryana and, presumably, it could have benefitted the aspirants in other centres too, who were also in the racket loop.
The Common Law Admission Test results have been put on hold. The Jamia Millia Islamia entrance test to the medical courses will be conducted again. One can go on counting. Any amount of cheating and malpractice in examinations is no more considered as an exception. The younger generation suffers when it is caught red-handed or is deprived of its rightful place in professional institutions by those who displace the youths by those bereft of human values but are flush .
Think about the plight of the AIPMT aspirants. They worked hard for months together, if not for years. After the test, they were just waiting to relax for a while before plunging into another admission — seeking exercise for the next session. Over six lakh students, their family members — most of them have to travel to some other place, make arrangements for boarding and lodging there — shall now have to redo it all.
All such aspirants suffer mental trauma and tension. The uncertainty as to where to take the admission in case of non-selection now haunts each one of them. Even if the re-examination is held within four weeks, as directed by the Supreme Court, it would take a week or two to declare the results. Only less than 4,000 aspirants shall be lucky enough to enter the hallowed precincts of the coveted medical colleges. Others shall either be wasting one year or will be left to the mercy of private institutions, who shall exploit them in these ‘special circumstances’.
Do the aspirants not deserve compensation from those who are responsible? It is now a well-established fact that the system, right from the Minister to the last functionary in the line, ensured that only those who have the pelf are declared eligible. And this continued for several years. Was it not imperative on the part of the Central Board of Secondary Education to have taken all precautions against the possible electronic cheating practices? Students were probably let down by those entrusted to follow their guidelines. One wonders why the guilty are not behind the bars.
One of the Aam Aadmi Party Ministers in Delhi has garnered huge space in the national media for his degrees, which are alleged to be forged and fake. For someone who has seen the system from within, it comes as no surprise, but is just one more of the innumerable instances of widespread malpractice prevalent in the education sector. With a wider availability of recording and communicating, cases are being reported in the media from one place or the other, practically on a daily basis, from every nook and corner of the country.
Bihar, without doubt, leads the way. One has reasons to make this provocative statement. The manner in which, the Bachelor of Education degrees were being made available (sold) to the aspirants throughout India had reached its zenith in the late 1990s. In 1999, the Chancellor of Bihar State University was approached with certain documents collected from various States. Many would still remember that the Bihar BEd scandal surfaced ‘formally’ that year, certain big names were involved, and the initial list included — apart from senior bureaucrats and Vice-Chancellors — a Minister of State who subsequently became the Chief Minister of Bihar. It may not be prudent to mention names of individuals and universities. It emerged that the racket was all-embracing and not confined to BEd degrees alone.
They were selling degrees in science and mathematics also. Not many have yet forgotten how education in the sushasan State is doing at present. Live pictures from Vaishali and Samastipur said it all.
One must hasten to add that Bihar is not alone and several other States are giving it tough competition in making education a commodity which is available to those who can afford it. Simple, transparent, just a known market practice. For others, there are non-functional sarkari schools and para-teachers. One comes across students in Uttar Pradesh, who passed their senior secondary education in science from recognised schools that did not have even a laboratory.
Many villages and towns have become known for being helpful to students who come there for their exams only. How can a nation afford such gross irregularities in its system of education? India intends to reap the benefits of demographic dividend as a young nation in an ageing world. One has serious apprehensions about how the eroded credibility of the education system will jeopardise such ambitions.
The need of the hour is to enhance the quality of education and skill acquisition to let the entire world know that India produces only competent and professionally sound, young persons. The credibility of the system must be restored. That requires an attitudinal transformation through intensive interactive training initiatives for the functionaries. It requires innovative academic leadership that leads from the front in knowledge, commitment and performance.
A reality check in the arena of education could indeed be an eye-opener to an outsider. Copying is not the only problem. Yes, there are coaching institutions that attempt to vitiate the process of entrance examinations in collusion with functionaries of the departments and institutions. Not only this, there are shops that assure to ‘assist’ in procuring any degree for any course from any university.
Thousands of young persons, particularly from rural situations and first or second generation learners, suffer immensely because of them. A generation of ‘solvers’ has already appeared on the scene. All this becomes possible only when those entrusted with the task of preparing the new generation of India, are incompetent, lack in commitment or are bereft of integrity and honesty. Malpractices in education have already taken gigantic proportions. Is it not ironical that the solution, too, must emerge from education? Edutasks back to the universities that enjoy the requisite credibility. |
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