A common entrance test after class XII for admission into every professional study programme could become a reality very soon. A panel constituted in March with IIT-Kharagpur director, Prof. Damodar Acharya as its chairman, and directors of the IITs in Mumbai, Roorkee and Chennai as members, has completed its work and is likely to endorse this proposal. Speaking at IIT Kharagpur’s 56th convocation on July 18, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal hinted as much. “I don’t want our children to hop around cities, taking dozens of exams. There is an urgent need to reduce the pressure on students and I welcome any suggestion toward that. Instit-utions should realise that it is not proper to depend just on entrance tests, for it breeds reliance on coaching centres, which is unfair. It also enco-urages students to focus less on their Plus Two classes and attach more importance to preparations for entrance exams. Due weightage has to be given to board exams as well,” said Sibal.
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With the country’s 20-30 separate entrance examinations for professional study progra-mmes likely to be reduced to half a dozen, the Rs.10,000 crore per year entrance exams coaching/tutorial industry is experiencing some jitters, with the estimated 100-plus schools in Kota, Rajasthan — the epicentre of India’s coaching/tutorial industry — reporting a decline in student enrolments. However, India’s 25-year-old coaching classes industry, so firmly implanted in middle class conscious-ness, is unlikely to fade away. Coaching schools are likely to morph into tuition centres for higher secondary students besides retaining their core competence of preparing students for entrance exams. “The coaching system is correcting itself and will supplement the deficiencies of the school system as well as prepare students for competitive entrance exams. Most coaching industry professionals are aware that coaching classes aren’t a substitute for school and classroom education,” says Gaurav Mittal, chief executive of the Delhi-based Quest Tutorials.
Meanwhile the HRD ministry is in the process of developing a National Vocational Qualification Framework, and increasing cyber connectivity across professional education institutions. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) — a subsidiary of the ministry — has introduced two hospitality programmes in collaboration with the National Council for Hotel Management in 26 schools, and mass media studies and geospatial practices (vocational) programmes in collaboration with Mumbai-based Whistling Woods International and Rolta India Ltd respectively, on a pilot basis in 33 schools. The two private partners will provide curriculum support to CBSE and impart training to teachers. By presiding over the launches of these new initiatives in vocational education on July 19-20 respectively, Sibal signaled his support. “This is a small step and a much larger effort is required in vocational education. As new career opportunities beckon students, we must be prepared to address their needs,” he said speaking on the occasion.
On the internet connectivity issue too, there’s good news. According to HRD officials, nearly 8,500 colleges (of 23,000) countrywide have already been connected, and high-quality e-content is being created under the National Programme of Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) even as nearly 500 web-based and video courses are available on the Sakshat, Youtube and NPTEL portals. Moreover on July 22 Sibal unveiled a prototype of a low-cost laptop jointly designed by several IITs priced at a record-low Rs.1,500.
All these positive developments in education are coincident with the mid-term appraisal (MTA) of the Eleventh Plan, which at the time of its rollout in 2007, was widely publicised as an education-focused document. But more than half-way through the Eleventh Plan (2007-12) period, while there’s been no shortage of brave statements of intent, little of it has been translated into action.
In his address to the 55th meeting of the National Development Council held in Delhi on July 25, prime minister Manmohan Singh admitted as much. “As the MTA points out, we have made a start but much more needs to be done in these critical (education) areas in the remaining period of the Eleventh Plan and the effort must continue with greater vigour in the Twelfth Plan. Initiatives like the Right to Education and the National Rural Health Mission need to be implemented with vigour. This will require more resources. However, it is equally important to pay attention to improve the quality of delivery systems in order to achieve the desired outputs,” he said.
Autar Nehru (Delhi)