The need to examine the examination system

• Recurring scandals during examination seasons emphasise a crucial connection between the credibility of examination systems and the standards of certificates issued by educational boards.
• The current examination pattern has several drawbacks, such as a focus on memory testing and inflation of marks.
• A credible examination system is one of the key ways to improve the standard of education.

Decentralized System Challenges

• India's extensive education system with numerous universities and colleges faces challenges has diversified modes of assessment.
• A balance between secrecy and standardisation is essential, as
  • Excessive secrecy without proper checks can lead to scandals
  • Excessive standardization hampers experimentation in assessment and curriculum
• The credibility of assessment and standard of education can be ensured only through transparency in teaching and assessment.

Inconsistency in Examination Systems

• In educational institutions, the summative examination is to test and certify a student’s learning.
• The validity and comparability of examinations across institutions are currently meaningless.
• There are concerns over the inconsistency of examination systems in testing scholastic abilities.

Issues with Current Examination Practices

• Complaints about examination boards primarily testing memory, leading to rote learning.
• Flaws in question papers, including language errors, conceptualization errors and irrelevant questions.
• Indiscriminate evaluation of answer scripts, with grades not reflecting differences in learning achievements.
• Employability of graduates dependent on higher-order learning, while examination boards fail to certify such skills.

Challenges

• Regulatory institutions in India emphasize outcome-based learning and provide detailed advisories.
• However, the lack of regular and effective oversight leads to institutions not fully adhering to these guidelines.
• Despite syllabi outlining course objectives and expected outcomes, a closer examination reveals inconsistencies and inadequacies.
• Issue of secrecy in the examination process, from question paper setting to evaluation and mark sheet preparation.
• Confidentiality can provide cover for mediocre work by some teachers and may contribute to scandals in examinations.

Autonomy and Oversight

• Regulatory bodies encourage colleges to pursue academic autonomy, allowing them to certify students based on their own examinations.
• However, the autonomy regulations provide limited oversight authority for the affiliating university.
• The farce of standardization in examinations within a decentralized education system is criticized.
• In a decentralized education system, transparency and proper oversight play crucial roles in examination systems to ensure credibility and adherence to minimum standards.

Steps for Improvement

• A transparent oversight model and greater involvement of professional bodies in curriculum design and teaching is needed.
• There is a need for simultaneous changes in curriculum and examination processes.
• Specification of minimum standards for learning outcomes.
• Utilization of technology in assessment to enhance credibility.
• External audit of assessment systems in universities and school boards with a focus on transparency, reliability and consistency.
• Codification of negligence, fraud and quality issues, with linked corrective measures and punishments.