It is one of the burning questions and a raging controversy in education circles. Opinion is sharply divided among the educationists. When arguments are heard from both sides, one is inclined to support the famous judgment of Sir Roger: ‘Much can be said on both sides.’ However, on closer examination, any impartial observer will be gravitating to the view that the scales can be slightly tilted in favor of weightage. In the ultimate analysis, it is neither a bane nor a boon but a balancing act. It is a compulsory compromise dictated by commonsense and circumstances.
The year 1963 was a crucial year because it ushered in a major reform in education, namely the emergence of 10+2+3 pattern to replace the Pre-University Course (PUC). With a lot of fanfare, the Andhra Pradesh Government passed an act in the legislature and set up the Board of Intermediate Education. Great expectations were raised when the government issued a policy statement that the new course would serve a double purpose of (a) serving as a bridge for admission to higher education and (b) becoming a terminal vocational course for job market. Thus, high expectations were raised among the parents.
In 1969, Andhra Pradesh Government took pride in becoming the first state to introduce the regional language as medium of instruction. There was a mushroom-like expansion of Intermediate Colleges. The authorities made frequent statements that the time for expansion was over and the time for consolidation had come. There was no end to the ad hoc and unplanned growth of Junior Colleges.
No other state had so many private Junior Colleges as our state had. Intermediate education has become commercialized. It began to spread with the assistance of Radio, CDs and DVDs. On date, 233 Junior Colleges are running Vocational Courses but the products of these courses are found to be unemployed and unemployable. Unchecked growth without infrastructural facilities and equipment led to widespread malpractices in examinations. The situation was such that in the same building there were a college and a shop or a bar together! The government felt that the examinations lacked purity and validity. The Intermediate Board became powerless to check it. The situation was worse in the rural areas.
After careful consideration, government introduced EAMCET examination for admission to Engineering colleges, Medical colleges and other professional colleges. This test became the sole criterion of admission in total rejection of the marks in the Intermediate examination. This reform has made Intermediate colleges redundant. Intermediate education has become obsolete though not yet extinct. Its days are numbered.
Another critical element in the present educational scenario is the rise of corporate colleges, which are today ruling the roost. Each corporate body is running a number of coaching institutions spread over the length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh. Education has become a lucrative industry for enterprising entrepreneurs. In a ruthlessly competitive world, these institutions are vying with each other to manufacture rank holders. As their candidates are getting admission into professional colleges, parents make beeline to these centers.
After a long while, it was found to the discomfiture of our educationists that the candidates who were selected on the basis of EAMCET marks were not up to the mark. They were found to be deficient when they appeared before selection committees for jobs. The committees appointed by the government and other agencies, who interviewed the candidates, declared them as lamentably deficient and unemployable because they were lacking in communication skills, life skills, analytical skills and problem solving skills. Then government came to the conclusion, though belated, that the EAMCET examination is not sacred.
Both the schemes are weighed in the balance. Intermediate marks are not dependable on account of the allegedly unreliable marks in the examinations. But it is a regular two-year course with class teaching according to a syllabus prepared by experts. EAMCET is entirely based upon the performance of the candidates, who score very high marks on the basis of objective questions without the necessity to write an essay or short answer. Therefore, the choice is between Scylla and Charybdis– between the devil and the deep sea.
As a consequence, government held an emergency conference under the Presidentship of Sri D. Srinivas, Minister of Education. It was attended by the Education Secretaries, Commissioners of Degree Colleges and Junior Colleges, the Secretary of the Intermediate Board, the Director of Telugu Academy, and also the Chairman of the State Council of Higher Education. All educationists and leaders of Teachers’ Associations and corporate colleges including ‘Narayana’ and ‘Chaitanya’ participated in the discussions. The writer of this article was requested to speak first.
As a result of the consensus, it was finally decided that it was proper to give 25% marks weightage to the Intermediate examination for the time being. After watching how the change works, further action would be taken.
In my opinion, it should be possible to increase the weightage, if the Board can conduct the examinations strictly in future without giving scope for criticism. It is a challenge to the Intermediate Board .The corporate colleges have a powerful lobby. Let us wait and see.
Thus, weightage of marks is neither a bane nor a boon. It is a golden mean for the time being.