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SPECIAL ESSAY

REIMAGINING STUDENT EVALUATION

FOR A DYNAMIC INDIA

utting months of speculations HOLISTIC APPROACH: NEED OF THE
to rest, the Indian government HOUR
has finally decided to scrap the What got lost somewhere in this whole
PCentral Board of Secondary system is a learning environment that makes
Education (CBSE) Class 12 examinations, students to think critically, develop curiosity
giving some sense of direction in the lives for learning new things, have a sound mental
of 14 lakh students who had registered to health, learn how to maintain relationships,
write the exams this year. The significance navigate the available information, and form
of this decision which has rightly put safety their own opinions.
of students above everything else cannot Unfortunately, the rote learning system of
be overstated in view of the pandemic. Indian schools has been followed by most
The Council for Indian School Certificate of the higher education institutes as well, Professor Arjya B. Majumdar
Examinations which conducts the Class 12 resulting in the production of what some
ISC exams has already followed suit and memorisation,” says the new policy.
several other boards are expected to do the organisations have called “unemployable” Whether the fruits of all of these reforms will
same, impacting more lives. graduates. It only underlines how crucial it eventually get reflected in the admission and
has become to adopt a fresh approach to
The primary reason why this decision imparting education that can make all of our evaluation process of all higher educational
has not been an easy one to take is that students ready to confidently participate in the institutes in India or not, only time will tell. But
admissions in a large number of India’s dynamic economy of India and the world. the vision with which the O.P. Jindal Global
colleges and universities depend solely on University (JGU) was set up back in 2009
the marks that a student obtains in the Class The adoption of a holistic approach does already aligns with the roadmap charted in the
12 exams. In the absence of an alternative not mean doing away with exams completely, new National Education Policy.
student evaluation system that can gauge except in extraordinary circumstances of a
their true potential, an exam-centric education pandemic or other natural disasters. What it A ROLE MODEL
At a time when many public universities in
system has flourished. calls for is a shift in focus from scoring marks India lacked a model to help students develop
to blooming of full physical and cognitive
PITFALLS OF EXAM-CENTRIC EDUCATION faculties. critical thinking, JGU made pioneering efforts
The over-reliance on Board marks is The school education system in Finland, to bring the benefits of global education to
understandable in a country like India as for example, discourages rankings and the doorstep of Indian students. With the aim
examinations are possibly the easiest way competitions among students, and yet their of creating changemakers of tomorrow who
to determine one’s worth, since they are approach is recognised as one of the best can bring in lasting solutions to the pressing
easy to administer, especially in normal in the world. The education system adopted problems that the world is facing today, JGU
circumstances. In a pandemic situation, imparts interdisciplinary education to nurture
holding in-person examination is not without by China’s biggest city Shanghai has also students in a way that helps them realise their
risks. Moreover, depending too much on this earned global laurels for its ability to impart full creative potential.
easy method (from the assessor’s point of meaningful education to the children through The holistic admissions process that the
view) of conducting examination has also a meticulous process of building an army university has developed therefore takes into
led to undue emphasis on marks -- not on of excellent teachers, a nuanced student account how a student feels, thinks, analyses
learning -- across all levels of education in the assessment process, and a fairly significant and communicates. The faculty even conducts
country. scale of autonomy enjoyed by the schools in personal interviews of admission seekers
Such has been the pressure on students terms of curriculum design. to most courses in a bid to understand their
to obtain high marks for getting admissions NEP 2020: RIGHT COURSE OF ACTION academic goals and how JGU can be a part
to higher education institutes that the whole It is not that there is not yet enough of their journey. The fact that many of the
purpose of our school education system recognition of the drawbacks of the current new-age higher education institutes are now
often appears to be to teach students to take learning system in India. The National following the footsteps of JGU in developing
tests. This has led to a misguided competition Education Policy 2020 has mentioned interdisciplinary curriculum and the success
among students to just memorise their that “Board exams will be redesigned to stories that the alumni have scripted over the
lessons by heart before their exams and encourage holistic development” and entrance years bear testimonials to the revolutionary
reproduce them in their answer sheets. The examinations will also be reformed so that impact of the global university.
mushrooming of tuition/coaching centres students need not depend on coaching
across the country further amplifies this classes to crack them. “Board exams will Professor Arjya B. Majumdar
mad race to score high marks through rote be made ‘easier’, as they will test core Dean, Admissions & Outreach
learning. competencies rather than months of coaching/ O.P. Jindal Global University

EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2021