Revision of Competitive Examination

Source-This post on Revision of Competitive Examination has been created based on the article “Revise competitive exams for a better educated country” published in “Livemint” on 20 June 2024.

UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-2- Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context-The article criticizes the current system of competitive entrance examinations for higher education as an “elimination exercise” rather than a genuine selection process. It proposes an alternative examination system.

What are the issues with the current entrance examination system?

1) These exams cannot assess important life capacities like creativity, deep conceptual understanding, and social capacities. This undermines the value of these abilities.

2) The high-stakes nature of these exams causes mental, social, and economic problems for aspiring students and their families.

3) The concept of “merit” being truly represented by these exams, as they evaluate a limited range of abilities and can produce varying rankings, may be questioned.

What is the proposed alternative selection method?

1) This alternative selection method is based on qualifying criteria assessed through improved board examinations or similar assessments.

2) Students who meet the basic qualifying criteria (e.g., 70% in four subjects) would be eligible for admission to higher education institutions.

3) If the number of eligible students exceeds available seats, randomized selection would be employed.

Read more- Exam Paper Leaks- Concerns and Way Forward

What are the advantages of the proposed method?

1) This approach would lessen the pressure on students and families since they only have to meet the minimum requirements. This will minimize competitive stress and related pressures.

2) By evaluating a broader range of abilities, the issue of limited educational goals emphasized by current exams can be minimized. This will promote a more diverse society and enhance collective competence.

3) Colleges would be evaluated based on the overall quality of education they provide, focusing on students’ broader capacities rather than selecting based solely on narrow, exam-focused skills.

The proposed method doesn’t immediately solve the problem of limited seats in top higher education institutions. However, it suggests that students who don’t get admitted would understand it’s due to chance, not their worth. The real solution is to enhance capacity in high-quality institutions to accommodate all students.

Question for practice

What are the drawbacks of the existing entrance examination system? What alternative method of selection is being proposed? What are the benefits of adopting this alternative approach?