THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - March 30, 2018 - Topic 1

Testing exam: restoring trust in the CBSE exam process

The Central Board of Secondary Education faces a serious erosion of credibility with the leak of its annual examination question papers on Economics for Class 12 and Mathematics for Class 10. Thousands of students are naturally frustrated that their best shot at these papers has come to nought; they must now make another strenuous effort in a re-examination. 

Clearly, the Ministry of Human Resource Development failed to assign top priority to secrecy and integrity of the process, considering that its standard operating procedure was easily breached, and the questions were circulated on instant messaging platforms. Yet, the problem is not new. State board question papers have been leaked in the past. When the HRD Ministry was asked in the Lok Sabha three years ago what it intended to do to secure the CBSE Class 12 and 10 examinations, Smriti Irani, who was the Minister then, asserted the inviolability of the process, since the question papers were sealed and stored in secret places and released to authorised officials with a window of only a few hours. In addition, the board has dedicated secrecy officers for each region. But the protocol has failed, and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar should conduct a thorough inquiry to get at the truth and initiate remedial steps without delay. One of the options is to institute a National Testing Agency, although it was originally supposed to take charge of entrance examinations in the first phase. State school boards also need help to reform systems.

A major leak such as the one that has hit the CBSE raises a question often debated in academic circles: is a high-stakes test the best option? To some sociologists, the use of a quantitative indicator with rising importance for social decision-making makes it more vulnerable to corruption pressures, and distorts and undermines the very processes it is intended to monitor. That seems to be an apt description of what has taken place. Today, what is needed is a credible testing method to assess a student’s aptitude and learning. But the answer may lie not in one all-important examination, but in multiple assessments that achieve the same goal. Such an approach will end the scramble for high scores in a definitive board examination, and the exam stress that the government has been trying to alleviate. It will also limit the fallout of a leak. These and other options need to be debated by academic experts. More immediately, the CBSE has to restore faith in its processes. The board went into denial mode when the leaks were first reported, but subsequently decided to acknowledge the problem and ordered a fresh examination in the two subjects. In the current scheme, the annual exercise is all-important to students. Everything should be done to inspire total confidence in the board examinations.

Vocabulary

Erosion: the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Example: The problem of soil erosion

Credibility: the quality of being trusted and believed in.

Example: The government's loss of credibility

Synonyms: trustworthiness, reliability, dependability, integrity, reputation, status

Nought: nothing.

Example: He's naught but a worthless fool

Synonyms: nothing, nothing at all, no point, no purpose, no effect

Secrecy: the action of keeping something secret or the state of being kept secret.

Example: The bidding is conducted in secrecy

Synonyms: confidentiality, classified nature; secretiveness, covertness

Breach: an act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct.

Example: A breach of confidence

Synonyms: contravention, violation, infringement, infraction, transgression

Asserted: state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.

Example: The company asserts that the cuts will not affect development

Synonyms: declare, maintain, contend, argue, state, claim, propound, proclaim

Indicator: a thing, especially a trend or fact, that indicates the state or level of something.

Example: Car ownership is frequently used as an indicator of affluence

Synonyms: measure, gauge, barometer, guide, index, mark, sign, signal

Assess: evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of.

Example: The committee must assess the relative importance of the issues

Synonyms: evaluate, judge, gauge, rate, estimate, appraise, consider

Scramble: a difficult or hurried clamber up or over something.

Example: An undignified scramble over the wall

Synonyms: clamber, climb, trek

Acknowledge: accept or admit the existence or truth of.

Example: The plight of the refugees was acknowledged by the authorities

Synonyms: admit, accept, grant, allow, concede, accede to, confess

Confidence: the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

Example: We had every confidence in the staff

Synonyms: trust, belief, faith, credence, conviction