Students complain after music, dance exams clash with CET, NEET

April 29, 2017 11:28 pm | Updated April 30, 2017 07:56 am IST - Bengaluru

Children attending Musical Keyboard class conducted at The Structural School of Fine Arts at Vijayanagar, in Bangalore

Children attending Musical Keyboard class conducted at The Structural School of Fine Arts at Vijayanagar, in Bangalore

How will music and dance exams fare when they clash with a host of entrance examination for professional courses — Common Entrance Test (CET), National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and chartered accountancy?

Several music and dance teachers running art schools have complained that it is unfair for the government to pitch art exam against professional courses as it would lead to even interested art students dropping out of the examination.

Music and dance exams at junior, senior, and vidwat grades conducted by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) this year will be held between May 2 and 11, the board has announced. The exams will be taken up by 16,000 students.

However, this clashes with several professional entrance tests. While CET is being held on May 2 and 3, NEET for medical courses is being held on May 7. Not just that, chartered accountancy exams held by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is slated between May 3 and May 16.

Several art teachers say that some students — who write these professional examination — also take up art examination simultaneously.

“Even by a conservative estimate, at least 10% of students taking up these professional examination also learn music and other arts. These students may not take up their art exam this year. It is anybody’s guess as to what the students or their parents will choose given an option between arts exam and entrance examination. It is unfortunate that the authorities have announced common dates,” said M.G. Venkataraghavan, senior musician who runs Nadahamsa Music Academy here. He added that music and dance exams have never been given their due importance compared to other professional courses and exams.

Namrata, a PU student from Bengaluru and a music student set to take up junior music exam this year is now in a fix. “Although music is equally important, the preference would naturally sway towards CET given its importance in higher education and future career,” she said.

Similarly, music and PU students Harshitha, Lavanya and Srinivas, whom The Hindu spoke to said that they will be forced to drop out of music exam and opt for CET this year.

However, senior officials from KSEEB speaking to The Hindu acknowledged that even they have received several complaints from art schools and students on the clashing schedules and requests to reschedule the exams.

However, the officials said that preparations have already been made and it was difficult to postpone the exams at this stage.

“For those students who want to take professional entrance exams, each centre will make arrangements to reschedule their practical exams at a later date after CET is completed,” a senior official said.

However, not just practical exams, theory papers of art exams also clash with NEET and CA exams. No action is being contemplated to avoid this.

CET with music?

This year, in several centres, students taking up CET may hear music as they write their exams. This is because in many instances, arts exams and CET, are allotted the same centre.

For instance, Malleswaram Government PU College, Bengaluru, is a centre for both CET and art exams on May 2 and 3. A total of 700 students are scheduled to give their practicals for junior and senior music exams.

Senior musician and tutor M.G. Venkataraghavan said that it was impossible to hold music practical exams in the same building without disturbing the other exams. However, officials of the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board said that the centres have large buildings and the two exams will be held in separate wings of the institutions and hoped that students writing CET wouldn’t be disturbed.

Not just this year

It’s not just this year that the music and dance exams are facing the hurdle of clash with other exams. There are problems of one kind or the other, according to seniors in the music field. Vijaya H.K. a senior teacher who trains at least 15 students to take up exams in vocal and instrumental every year, feels the entire system needs to get more systematic. “It is insulting to see students who are trained for six and seven years, face this indifference. Either they are sent from one centre to the other for admission tickets, or the examiners posted are inexperienced to understand the needs of the students taking the practical exams,” she added.

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