Single entrance test for admission to higher education institutes?

Updated on: Friday, April 15, 2011

Concerned over the negative fallout on students appearing for multiple examinations, the PM's scientific advisor has suggested a single entrance test for admission to higher education institutes.

C N R Rao, Chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM), has suggested that the HRD Ministry declare higher education as a national mission for the next decade and designate "capable individuals" to oversee that changes occur without much delay.
Rao, in a four page document titled "Essential Steps for Progress in Higher Education: A Check-list", suggests that the country should also identify 10 higher educational institutes and provide all support to enable them compete with the best
of the institutes in advanced countries to contribute to quality research.

The document, which will be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, strongly recommended "only one national examination" to assess students eligibility.

He said young "people suffer so much to succeed in these entrance examinations that in the process they lose excitement in education itself".

In this regard, he pointed to the practice adopted by USA in enrolling Indian students based on only the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) examination.

The examination system, including the college finals, he felt, seems to have destroyed creativity in young people.

"When will young people stop taking exams and do something worthwhile? It is important to relook at the entire examination system including the system of final examinations, qualifying examination, selection examination and so on," Rao observed.

He said the present scenario demands highly creative and innovative people to take up challenges in science and other subjects and tackle problems related to national and global needs.

"It is therefore essential to see that everything we do in the education sector promotes creativity," he said.

He also suggested constitution of a task force by the HRD Ministry to prepare an action oriented document to provide a roadmap for the higher education sector.

"It is desirable that the document becomes available in next 12 months. What may also be necessary for the HRD Ministry is to declare higher education as a national mission for the next decade," he said.

To tap talent and provide opportunities to young children in rural India, Rao sought increasing the number of fully supported residential schools up to higher secondary level in such areas where best of the students get opportunity to pursue higher studies.

Coming down heavily on the practice of appointing IAS officers or of similar ones to educational or research institutes, many of whom are without any real interest in education, Rao strongly suggested restructuring of the higher education administration to improve quality of the institutes.

He also suggested providing high-quality continuing education and training programme for teachers, barrier-free connectivity among institutes and constitution of a group by HRD Ministry to prepare a vision document which forsees the problem of the higher education sector in the coming 20 years.

He said though planners and policy makers may react to the check-list by saying they are already aware of these issues, what is required is "a serious application of mind" to these and related issues to ensure major transformations are brought in the country that would create a healthier higher eduction scenario.

Single entrance test for admission to higher education institutes?

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