People's Democracy

SCRAPPING CET IN TAMILNADU

Move to Benefit Education Traders

K K Ragesh

THE recent decision of the Tamilnadu government to scrap the common entrance tests (CETs) for admissions to professional colleges has met with a mixed response. While on the one hand, the decision was welcomed by large sections within and outside the state, on the other hand, the student community, who are the primary affected party, are apprehensive of an uncertain future because this decision may lead to long drawn litigations and legal tangles.

SEIZE HOUR TO IMPROVE ACADEMICS

As per the new decision, admissions to professional colleges would be made on the basis of marks scored in the Plus Two (10 plus two) examinations. Along with the CETs, the government has also annulled the Tamilnadu professional courses entrance examination (TNPCEE 2005) in which over 1.64 lakh candidates appeared this year and results were expected in a couple of days. More or less, all the deemed universities in the state had also already conducted their entrance examinations and almost completed their admission processes. Nonetheless the fact that the decision has gained popular support reflects the students’ discontent over the existing unscientific system of entrance examinations. Albeit, the decision has also invited charges that it was taken with the motivation of benefiting private unaided professional college managements and not in order to improve academics. The need of the hour is to seize this moment for holding a countrywide discussion on the existing unscientific method of entrance examinations for admissions to professional colleges.

The government claims that if the plus two marks alone are relied upon, rural students would stand to get their due share in the admissions. The government also calculates that an admission process based on plus two marks would fill all the vacant seats in the private professional colleges. And that is the very reason why the consortium of private college managements has enthusiastically welcomed the decision to wind up the CETs.

REASONS FOR CURRENT CRISIS

It is true that students belonging to urban upper class families and prominent city schools have dominated the CETs merit lists, given the fact that they can afford exorbitant cost of “instant courses” served by “entrance coaching shops” mushrooming in cities and towns. Therefore, at times, the entrance tests are beyond the reach of a majority of the students from rural areas who are socially and economically backward. But the Tamilnadu government, while scrapping the CETs under the pretext of ensuring more seats for rural students is trying to pose that the CET based admission system is the lone reason for keeping rural students away from professional education. Consequently the government is deceptively trying to sidetrack the genuine issue. They are conveniently hiding the fact that admissions to private professional institutions are inaccessible to poor students from the rural areas primarily because of high fees rather than the mode of admission. Already, admissions to professional institutions have been allowed without entrance examinations in many states, including Tamilnadu. Last year the court permitted private managements to admit even students who had not appeared for the entrance examination, let alone score qualifying marks in them. Yet about 20000 seats remained vacant in various professional colleges due to lack of applicants. Hence, the government’s argument that entrance tests are the hurdle for rural students in their quest for professional seats is nothing but a fallacious claim, and is actually meant to help private professional institutions in dealing with their current crisis.

The current crisis in the professional educations sector can be attributed to two main reasons. Firstly, the fee structure in private professional educational institutions is unaffordable for students from backward sections of the society. Secondly, while issuing ‘no objection certificates’ the state government never adopted a rational approach, considering societal needs, thereby leading to a disproportionate mushrooming of professional educational institutes.

The question of high fees in private professional institutions has already run into rough weather several times. In its verdict in the Islamic Academy case, the Supreme Court made a recommendation for forming of a five-member committee headed by a retired High Court judge to regulate fees and other such matters in private professional institutions. However, experience shows that such committees have endorsed high fee structures for all seats including the seats under government quota. In the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s outstanding pronouncement viz. “those who seeks professional education, must pay for it”, all the advice that the same court gave in the same verdict to provide “freeships” and “scholarships” was thrown to the docks. As a result, students admitted even under the government quota (50 per cent) were forced to pay exorbitant fees. Indeed it is the unaffordable fee structure that has made students from backward sections and rural areas reluctant even to apply for entrance examinations. Fee concession is the only way to guarantee the admission of students from backward sections, especially from rural areas, in professional educational institutions.

A massive growth of professional institutions was witnessed in our country in the post-1990s, characterised essentially by the establishment of new institutions through private initiatives. The number of seats in engineering colleges in the year 1990-91 was 87,221. By the year 2003-04 it increased to 3,83,912. This was mainly because of the lack of a perspective plan by respective state governments while issuing NOCs. The AICTE and Technical Education Bureau admit that this has become a big problem wherein “some states have intake much more than the number of students passing at higher secondary level and a number of seats are lying vacant. The sudden expansion of technical institutions and intake capacity has led to several problems: teacher shortage, unfilled seats, admission of low quality students, unemployable graduates and decline in quality of education.” It is the responsibility of any government that has any concern over students’ future and academics to reorient professional education with a perspective planning taking into account the social needs. However, merely scrapping the CETs in order to fill up vacant seats in private institutions by opening them up for anybody who has money but probably not the acumen to qualify in entrance tests, will not in any case serve academic interests but may benefit commercial concerns of education traders.

FALLACY OF ENTRANCE EXAMS

Yet, it is undeniable that entrance examinations, as they are being held now, have several shortcomings that need to be addressed on an urgent basis. Let us take into account a brief history of entrance examinations. At one point in time, when entrance examinations were introduced for admissions to professional courses in our country they were vehemently welcomed by many sections of the society. Entrance tests were started in Tamilnadu in order to “filter” meritorious students with the right aptitude for professional courses. In Kerala, the “pre-degree” marks scandal was the reason behind the introduction of entrance tests. Rackets, which arranged higher marks for students from elite schools, also became common in Andhra Pradesh. In this scenario, entrance tests were hailed as the only means for at least a limited number of students from socially and economically backward sections to gain admission to professional colleges. In Maharashtra, entrance tests were introduced as per the 1999 verdict of the Supreme Court of India, which made admissions from rank lists prepared on the basis of entrance tests mandatory. Till then admissions were made on the basis of the plus two marks. After the Supreme Court verdict in the TMA Pai and Islamic Academy cases, entrance tests became mandatory for admissions to professional colleges, though it was stipulated that entrance tests conducted by the consortium of the managements must be under the control and guidance of the proposed committee chaired by a retired High Court judge.

A more comprehensive study needs to be undertaken to understand why entrance examinations, which until recently were viewed by many as the right remedy for the ills plaguing the plus two examination system, have within a short period of time generated so much antipathy and opposition. Part of the problem lies in the fact that very often private managements utilised entrance examinations as an opportunity to simply prepare bogus rank lists (a fact that has been exposed several times). Also, the present form of entrance tests are not capable of testing the overall aptitude or skills of the students since they are designed to benefit only those who can afford the coaching given by the highly expensive ‘entrance coaching shops.’ Very often, entrance examinations just test the powers of memory and speed, rather than making any comprehensive assessment about the prospective candidate’s intellectual ability. Many studies have exposed this fallacy of entrance examinations. Some studies also reveal that ranks in professional colleges are more similar to the marks scored in the higher secondary examination and not the candidates’ rank in the entrance examination. Thus, an overall modification and reformation of entrance examinations is required thereof.

WEST BENGAL EXPERIENCE

However, along with such modifications, special attention must also be paid to increase the standard of education in rural schools. West Bengal is one state, which has made a lot of efforts in this regard. Earlier it was the students from urban-based institutions who used to bag ranks in the entrance test (JEE) in the state. However, “rural” students have come into focus in Bengal where this year’s JEE results showed a dramatic rise in the number of students coming from the districts on the merit list. The government’s efforts to increase educational facilities in district schools and the modification of the JEE pattern, resulted in district students bagging more than 50 per cent seats in the entrance examination into professional colleges. Appointing sufficient teachers and ensuring basic facilities in rural schools can improve the competency of rural background students. Thus, while posing the CETs as the lone obstacle before rural students in their pursuit for professional seats, it is clear that the Tamilnadu government is not primarily motivated with academic or egalitarian concerns.

Most importantly, the decision to abolish entrance tests may be challenged in the court in the light of the court’s earlier verdict which makes entrance test mandatory. The argument of the Tamilnadu government, which interprets plus two examinations as an entrance test, may not get much legal support in this regard. Inadvertently, the Tamilnadu government’s decision to abolish the CETs has brought the lacuna in the present entrance system into limelight. In the current circumstances it is beyond doubt that the entrance tests act as a shunning devise to eliminate rural and needy students from accessing even the minimum facilities available in higher education. A thorough revision of the CETs, its reform and the upgrading of rural schools can certainly bring about a positive shift in professional admissions. It may even be the case that, instead of an overall change in the content and structure of the present entrance tests, scrapping may emerge as a more pertinent outcome. However, no steps must be initiated without holding proper and detailed discussions amongst the academic community to ascertain proper remedies for eliminating the disparity against the poor, rural and backward students in the present professional education system. An immediate deliberation in this regard must be initiated for achieve any affirmative shift.