Tamil Nadu seems to have taken it upon itself to don the sole mantle for doing away with NEET. It talks about a ‘level playing field’ for all students while seeking admission for higher studies. A level playing field should also include equality in the difficulty levels of syllabi across different boards and equality in assessment and allotment of marks. State boards such as Tamil Nadu’s are known for their dilution of the syllabus and their lenient assessment, leading to their students securing inordinately high marks. This goes in tandem with the State government’s “vision” of providing higher education to all. Doesn’t this put students of central boards such as CBSE at a disadvantage while applying for colleges, as their curriculum is at a higher difficulty level and their marking scheme far more strict? Does not the doctrine of a ‘level playing field’ apply here?
Sharada Sivaram,
Chennai
This is in connection with a report regarding the NEET examination and students who arrived late not being allowed inside the examination centre. I accept that reaching a place in time is the most important criterion for many things. But I also know that getting a medical seat is a life time dream for many a student. When there are so many stringent measures taken to prevent the leakage of a question paper before, during and till the end of examination, I feel that there is nothing wrong in allowing students who reach “moderately late” and with valid and acceptable reasons to write the paper. This duration may be decided by the teachers in charge and such students need not be given extra time. I don’t think that there were military officers at the NEET examination centres. I believe that there were only teachers as invigilators/supervisors. We, as teachers should not kill young minds that are bursting with good and great aspirations. Bad habits can be nipped in the bud. Teachers must help the buds blossom.
M. Ramaswamy,
Coimbatore
As a software professional living in the U.S. for the past 15 years, I want to comment on the examination system as far as NRIs/OCIs like me are concerned, and NEET in particular, which about 2,070 Indian-origin students (NRI+OCI), including my daughter, have written. For a student born and educated outside India, excelling in an Indian competitive exam is difficult. Indian exams are more focussed on memorisation and routine study techniques which are not prevalent in the developed world. There, education is more practical, interactive and adopts a holistic approach not specially focussed on one single competitive exam. For example, children are not used to memorising formulae, periodic tables, etc.
In the U.S., even advanced chemistry and physics do not cover topics the CBSE is forcing on tender minds. I don’t need to remind educationists where India stands in the global education index. It is also not fair to club NRI/OCI children with students who have been educated in India.
Santosh Vemula,
Washington DC, U.S.
With this being the season of examination results, and the rise in centums in higher secondary examinations, it is pertinent to re-examine the state of affairs. It is strange that students who have scored very well, especially in Tamil Nadu, are unable to perform well in NEET. This is not just a one-off incident but points to a deep-rooted malady. Centums in subjects such as economics, commerce and the languages are common as question papers have become more predictable as exam factories flourish, where the sole aim is to churn out students with high marks.
Unfortunately, we lack a central agency that helps students to know where their State board syllabus stands in the milieu of secondary education in India. Any attempt at a revamp should help students develop free thinking and analytical skills. Even in non-STEM subjects such as literature or economics, there are plenty of options to test thinking and understanding. Finally, there should be a focus on the capability of teachers. It is the teacher who plays a role in instilling love for a subject, be it history, geography or chemistry, and can make or break a student.
Saishankar Swaminathan,
Chennai
