Entrance tests must make an exit

over, very few were convinced of their information on leakage. The method used in the CAT leakage — where students had assembled in a hotel room — was similar and it is quite possible that leakages in other entrance examinations follow a similar pattern.

It is pertinent to ask whether better security could obviate such leakages. We do not think so. Some individuals must always know the contents of the question paper and, with the stakes being extraordinarily high, it is inevitable that some of them should give in to temptation. To make things worse, this temptation may be coupled with threats. It should not surprise us if the investigations reveal that the organised leakage of many entrance test papers has been going on for many years and has come to light only when the actors involved have become too greedy.

If we coolly examine this we must conclude that it is essentially the outcome of an unbelievably high premium placed on entrance to professional institutions and the concomitant growth in the coaching industry. The large premium on entrance tests has two negative aspects. The first is the sad side-effect it has on the current university and school education because the students preparing for these tests ignore their main courses of study. Teachers in many colleges have reported poor attendance from November to January. Schools are no different since most students are busy with coaching institutes. All this is because at the time of entrance to professional courses, we almost completely ignore the result of the qualifying examination. While teaching undergraduate or post graduate classes one can easily see that students who have concentrated on learning the tricks needed for success at entrance exams have missed the conceptual development of subjects. This becomes a drawback when they choose a career in these disciplines. The second is the inconvenience to which students and parents are put with so many institutions holding their own entrance tests and students running from one centre to another and from one city to another to cope with the maddening schedule.

Any measure, therefore, must take these aspects into account. One possible suggestion is to have a National Level Aptitude Test which could serve as an independent and reliable benchmark to grade students. Such a test, together with the result of qualifying examination plus any other input (like the interviews), can then be used to develop a criterion for admitting students to various institutions and courses.

Our suggestions are the following: one, at the school level there should be two National Level Tests. The first of a general nature, after the 10th standard. Another, in the 12th standard. The second one would be specialised and there would be one for every stream. Two, at the university level one could have a test for each subject/stream in the final year of graduation.

These tests can be held online. Now that most district headquarters are connected by the internet, tests can be held simultaneously. The tests will be held on a common course pattern which will also help standardise various board/university examinations that exist at the moment. One may also have to scale the results of various boards/university examinations. Invariably there is a tendency for each institution to look down on other institutions and in the absence of any procedure for standardisation, the dispute continues. The standardisation will also motivate different regional boards/universities to formulate their syllabi and develop their examinations in a form which will help their students to compete at the national level. Since these tests are online, they are easy to repeat and one can give students a maximum of, say, three chances to improve their standing.

This will of course require detailed planning and the setting up of an autonomous national level body to administer these tests. The point is with the present technology and connectivity this can be done with the requisite will. Most institutions are going to oppose this change because each one of them holds its own test, which means money from the organisation of the entrance test to them as well as the leverage they acquire in admissions. We feel, however, that the interests of students and parents must take precedence over those of the institutes. For the sake of providing solace to students and parents, for preserving the importance of the qualifying examinations and for the sake of stopping leakages, a decision of this kind has to be taken. It will of course require efforts at the political level.

Such a suggestion was made earlier in 1977, in the context of IIT entrance paper leakage. At that time some experts had wondered how such a scheme would improve things. First, it does not place a premium on any particular test. That is, one is not assured of admission by manipulating one examination. Further, if we notice that there is a mismatch in the result of the Aptitude Test and the result of the qualifying examination we can explore and devise a procedure to recheck marks at the time of interviews.

This, in any case, is a suggestion around which debate must start.