Who Wants A Nest?

IT seemed like any other meeting in the ministry of human resource development last week, but at stake was perhaps India’s best chance at a cutting edge in the new economy: the quality of education in the six Indian Institutes of Technology.

The issue is simple enough. Every year, Class XII students sit for several engineering school entrance exams: for many students, the number of tests could be above a dozen. They have to juggle dates around, and often rush from exam hall to railway station to catch the train for some far-off town to sit for yet another exam. And all this, when all the exams test the same skills and the same area of knowledge. Now, the hrd ministry has taken a bold initiative by proposing a common entrance test as part of the government’s National Education System of Testing (nest), following recommendations from Education Consultants India Limited, an autonomous body mandated by the ministry. The annual exercise - based on objective questions and evaluated on percentile basis (that is, instead of marks or grades, you’re told what percentage of students you’ve done better than) - will cover admissions to an estimated 1,147 institutions offering degree courses in engineering, technology, pharmacy, hotel management and architecture. Including the iits, which have always had their own entrance tests, the Joint Entrance Examinations (jee), perhaps the toughest such test on earth.

"The common test will avoid a lot of duplication," says Prof Ashok Chandra, principal secretary in the ministry, adding that many state and central institutions have expressed their desire to join from the next session. Pavan Malhotra, a director in the ministry, feels the government’s move will draw tremendous support from the students. "Tensions about exam duplication happens all the time. This year, the Jamalpur Railway Apprentice test date clashed with the iit entrance. Is there a way to solve the problem? The students are nothing but mental wrecks during that time and we are trying to solve the problem," he says. Besides, the common entrance examination is a time-tested method: the US, for instance, has the Scholastic Aptitude Test (sat) for entrance to undergraduate schools.

The iits welcome the move, but with one crucial rider - who will set the standards for the common exam? And the iit Senate, representing the six elite institutes, is clear about the answer: it must be the iits.

"The standards we set are extremely important. We need the best and can never compromise on anyone wanting to join an iit. The ministry has assured us that it will consider our request," iit, Delhi registrar Col (rtd) A.S. Malhotra told Outlook, adding: "Generalising in such specialised careers does not help at all." iit professors agree. The prime reason why iits are among the finest engineering colleges is their freedom from political and bureaucratic interference, as also their foolproof admission system. "The pressure to clear the entrance is tremendous and the paper tough but see its effects on the students. An iit campus is a unique amalgamation of talents not just confined within engineering books or tools. iits shape you into a complete person. This sanctity needs to be maintained. Clubbing iit entrance with other engineering colleges is like clubbing the Oberoi School of Hotel Management with the government-run ones," says a teacher, requesting anonymity.

Insiders say that the iit Senate proposal to the government talks of a two-tier screening process for an estimated 2,45,000 students expected to sit for engineering admission tests, once the system is put in place, hopefully by 2002. The first test will drastically reduce the number to anywhere around 2,500 to 3,000. These students will be accepted by the iits. "We have told the government that once the first round is over, the rest of the institutions can have a second round if they want. Or settle for just one test. The choice is there. But we will not change the process that has continued for years. The discussion is on with the government and we hope we will get our due," says Malhotra.

Ministry bureaucrats say that they realise there’s merit in the iits’ proposal. But they are also worried, and perhaps rightly so, whether the standards of the test will be too high for the average engineering aspirant, if the iits set the papers. The ministry is more concerned with the issue of objective evaluation and preference, while the iits are single-mindedly focused on quality. This is what the iits are concerned about. But, asks Prof Chandra: "Where is the worry? The government’s idea is to end the miseries of the students and not compromise on the standards. Besides, the iits are not a separate identity but very much part of the government. We expect them to cooperate with us on this effort and help modulate this humungous process."

The iits, however, may still be suspicious. As one iit professor told Outlook: "If the government forces this test on us, a test which is not administered by the iits, you can say goodbye to the quality that the iit name stands for." Goodbye also to India Inc’s deserved place in the 21st century?