Academicians call for reform in evaluation & examination system

Coimbatore: Academicians say it is high time that the examination and evaluation patterns in higher education institutions are reformed.
Last year, a 10-member committee set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a set of recommendations for evaluation reforms in higher education institutions, based on inputs from teachers, students, controller of examinations and experts.

However, institutions were yet to wake up to the situation, academicians said.

The committee had suggested various reforms in education pattern, question paper setting and grading system.

It had said the institutions could focus on having internal continuous evaluation and external evaluation in the ratio of 30:70 and then gradually move on to 50:50, while ‘exceptionally high-ranking’ institutions could even have it as 60:40 so that the continuous evaluation and assessment gains importance.

About the grading system, the committee had suggested that institutions move from absolute grading system, were students are graded based on set marks, to a relative grading system where they would be graded in relation with the performance of their classmates, as it would be ‘fairer to students’.

While setting question papers, questions from the question bank and those independently taken by paper-setters, should be in the ratio of 70:30, it had said.

However, academicians say such suggestions were yet to take the form of implementation in higher education institutions. Former vice-chancellor of Bharathiar University S Sivasubramanian said today higher education institutions were only producing degree holders and not intellectuals.

“Those who set question papers just take questions from previous papers and frame one, rather than testing students understanding and making them think,” he said. There needs to be structural changes to curriculum rather than just cosmetic touches, he added.

Former general secretary of Association of University Teachers C Pichandy seconded this. He said the curriculum, and not just the syllabus, should be restructured to include components such as social outreach and gender sensitivity. He said the current seven-point grading system was flawed where students who get average marks consistently get the same grade as those who get good marks. “This system should be statistically corrected,” he said.