Classroom crisis

Classroom crisis

The notion that school examinations should be abolished is a child's fantasy that might still become a reality if some educationists and politicians have their way. A central government recommendation to end testing up to Class X and to hold exams only in Class XII is under consideration by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Similar suggestions have been made in the past and it is not difficult to understand why the idea persists that schooling will be better if the number of examinations are drastically reduced. The commonest argument is exams are a burden on students, teachers and school administrations which cannot be justified by the outcome. Essential to this point of view is the notion that exams are imperfect tools for measuring ability, comprehension and knowledge. Another popular argument is that the whole examination process, involving a set syllabus, classroom teaching and the conduct of standardised tests, is astraitjacketing process which narrows the learning experience of children. Also, exams can be unfair to talented children who find it impossible to conform to the demands of periodic tests or take the psychological pressure.

All this is persuasive but not enough to justify doing away with all but one exam. The system is undoubtedly flawed but there is no alternative to it. To abolish exams except at the very last stage is unwise. Parents need to have confirmation periodically that teachers are teaching and children are learning. They should be able to get objective confirmation of their children's performance through regular grading comparable across schools, cities and states. And they should find out about learning problems in good time to take remedial action, if necessary. If exams are abolished what would replace them? What would mark progress, reward the studious and goad shirkers to work harder? Certainly there is scope for improvement. Regular internal assessments would ensure a steady learning process and reduce the stress of high-profile end of term exams. But external assessments at crucial points in schooling are essential too.

Many of the problems associated with the exam system -- the burden and stress, the narrow focus on passing tests -- would be greatly reduced, if not eliminated by good teaching. Reformers ought also to take a look at what is happening to the quality of teachers in the majority of schools in this country. They will find school teachers are comprehensively neglected, underpaid and in some states not paid at all for months at a stretch. Conditions of service are often abysmal. Low salaries ensure low status; job security is a thing of the past. No surprise the teaching profession fails to attract high calibre students and many who do become teachers lack motivation. Meanwhile the already small pool of well-trained maths and science teachers could get smaller still as advanced countries make up for their own shortage of teachers by recruiting in India. Will the government wake up to the real crisis in the classroom?