The raging controversy over the moderation of marks policy by certain school boards has drawn attention to another aspect: lack of trained and motivated teachers
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) decision to scrap the moderation of marks came as a big surprise to schools, parents and children and shocked those concerned about the decline in the credibility of our education system as a whole. How could a decision be suddenly announced after the board exams were over and made applicable to examinees that were attuned to certain well-known schemes of the award of marks that included moderationIJ Thankfully, everyone heaved relieved a sigh of relief when the Delhi High Court quashed the decision and declared it as ‘unfair and irresponsible’. The CBSE had to go ahead with moderation of marks as per the previous practice. Even if the CBSE had taken this decision after convening a meeting of other school boards, it baffles how no one could point out that it should not be applied from the session of 2016-17.
It is learnt that the CBSE was even examining to approach the Supreme Court of India but eventually did not. However considerable damage was done to the credibility of the decision making process in education. Further, the Punjab School Board announced its results without moderation. Obviously the candidates there were put to considerable, and lasting, disadvantage. It could have happened in some other boards as well. The plus-two stage examination results decide the fate and future of aspiring young people and even a difference of one mark could make or mar their future prospects in a highly competitive process of getting in to higher education.
It must be conceded that the effort of the CBSE’s initiative to do away with moderation and grace marks was well-intentioned in light of considerable concerns being expressed throughout the country on the extraordinary inflation of school board examination marks. And this is being practised now by all the school boards. The present position today is that there is competitive moderation being practiced by different school boards to ensure that their students do not suffer in admissions or in job market that may be giving weightage to board examination achievements board examination marks play a major role in admissions to a large number of prestigious professional institutions. This too has contributed in enhancing liberal marking and additional support through the process of moderation.
In certain Delhi University colleges, the minimum cut-off is pegged at hundred percent! The percentage of those attaining more than 90 per cent marks has increased more than 20 times from 2004. Contrast this to the highest score of 55.3 per cent of the topper of the Civil Services Examination this year! Obviously there is big challenge before the CBSE; and also all other school boards; to rationalise their marking pattern and restore credibility and capacity to rationalise the pattern. If the Union Public Service Commission can find ways and means to create a pattern of evaluating the performance, why cannot the CBSE do soIJ
There are, however, larger issues than mere inflation of marks in board exams. In the early nineties, eminent author RK Narayan raised the issue of ‘burden of the school bag’ in the Rajya Sabha. A report on the issue was prepared under the chairmanship of Professor Yash Pal around 1991-92. Certain steps were initiated but these proved inadequate and the number of suicides by innocent young boys and girls rattled the conscious of the nation. Professional initiatives to reduce the load were initiated in all seriousness by during 2000-04, Theses were, however, junked May 2004 onwards and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development directed the CBSE to take steps to reduce curriculum load: Easier questions; change in the nature of question papers; liberal markings.
The consequences of that ‘political initiative’ are before the nation. Making Class X board exam optional and introduction of no-exams up to class eight contributed vastly to the deterioration of quality of teaching and learner attainments, particularly in schools run by State Governments. Those who suffered were from the weaker sections of the society. Those who cleared the elementary stage without any exposure to effective evaluation had to depend on tuitions, coaching, or fall prey to the nakal mafia by the time they were to confront plus-two level.
The fragility of the decision making process has adversely impacted the entire school education system throughout the country. Most of the ills of today can be attributed to many State Governments preferring to appoint para-teachers even when trained and qualified candidates were available and waiting for jobs. How naïve was this approach in the light of the experiences gained in most of the developing countries that the returns of investment in school education resulted in highest levels of ‘dividends’ when compared to any other sector of development!
Not only this, State Governments; particularly in such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, completely neglected their own teacher education institutions (TEIs). No regular teacher educators are appointed for decades together. It has led to the mushrooming growth of private teacher education institutions.
Distressful conditions prevailing in the TEIs have forced the Government to not sanction any new institution this year. Notices have also been issued to 4,000 of the existing private TEIs on why their recognition should not be cancelled. The fact is that even most Government-run TEIs fall far short of the prescribed norms! It is impossible to think of quality improvement and enhancement in an education system that fails to put outstanding professionals in its TEIs. This is the first pre-requisite. In addition, they must be given an environment that encourages idea-exchange, creativity and instills a desire to innovate. If the TEIs fail to prepare well-equipped, committed and performing teachers, it would be impossible to even check the quality deterioration, that is a reality of Government schools. Can standards in Government schools of Uttar Pradesh or Bihar improve if lakhs of teachers posts remain vacantIJ It would be futile to expect a poorly paid para-teacher, uncertain of his job security, to put his heart and soul to the task assigned to him.
Stung by the Topper-Scandal of last years board examination, Bihar decided to be strict about copying. The results dropped-down to 35 per cent. This huge failure rate was not unexpected as the decision-makers forgot to ensure that while copying can be checked by the police and the administration, teaching in class-rooms and laboratories just cannot happen without competent trained teachers who work with sincerity and competence. The absence of professional and academic leadership, and too much dependence on bureaucracy; has inflicted multi-dimensional deficiencies in the education system of India. An attitudinal transformation amongst policy-makers on this one aspect could restore the credibility of public-funded education system.
(The writer is former Director, NCERT and an educationist)