THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 10, 2018 - Topic 1

The measure of tests: on JEE, NEET

In an ideal system, admission to higher education courses would be based on assessment of aptitude and suitability, and a testing process that is transparent, accessible and fair. India’s policymakers have struggled to create a credible national admissions apparatus for professional degree programmes that accommodates the diversity and plurality of the country. 

The two-level Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to technological institutes such as the IITs, NITs and IIITs, and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical courses are steps in this direction — although much work remains to be done to make them accessible, especially for rural students who suffer from various handicaps, not the least of which is a shaky school education system. Viewed against this background, the decision of the Centre to form a National Testing Agency to conduct these and some other examinations is a progressive move. A professional agency would look at nothing other than the suitability of the candidate to pursue a particular programme. Of course, there will be those that contend that the better-run States could have their own agencies perform the same task, but the expertise of a national agency is preferable. The objective of aptitude testing in a populous country should be to enable mobility, and access to courses offered in any State. Peer-reviewed standards and curbs on commercialisation can help expand higher education. In the case of medical courses, a common test such as NEET should make it possible to attend any of about 350 medical colleges, of which 175 are run by private entities.

The idea of multiple opportunities to take a test in a single year, which the Centre has now adopted for JEE (Main) and NEET, is not really new, and is familiar to students entering universities abroad, particularly those in the United States. In fact, the Ashok Misra committee set up by the Human Resource Development Ministry to review the JEE three years ago recommended that an online aptitude test be offered two or more times a year. The move to make both JEE (Main) and NEET available twice a year is consistent with that advice. However, a computer-based test should not turn into a barrier for students from rural backgrounds, and impose additional expenditure on candidates for preparation, travel to a testing centre and so on. The reservations about online testing on such grounds should be overcome with good planning and allocation of sufficient funds. Equally important is the issue of regulation of coaching institutes — a sector worth about Rs.24,000 crore a year, according to the Ashok Misra panel — in order to ensure that the changes do not result in further exploitation of students. Ultimately, any process of reform at the level of entrance examinations can be meaningful only if the school education system is revamped, and learning outcomes are improved.

Vocabulary

Assessment: the evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something.

Example: The assessment of educational needs

Synonyms: evaluation, judgment, rating, estimation, appraisal, analysis, opinion

Transparent: allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen.

Example: Transparent blue water

Synonyms: clear, see-through, translucent, pellucid, limpid, glassy

Accessible: able to be reached or entered.

Example: The town is accessible by bus

Synonyms: reachable, attainable, approachable, obtainable, available

Credible: able to be believed; convincing.

Example: Few people found his story credible

Synonyms: believable, plausible, tenable, conceivable, likely

Apparatus: the technical equipment or machinery needed for a particular activity or purpose.

Example: Laboratory apparatus

Synonyms: equipment, gear, rig, tackle, gadgetry, appliance, instrument, machine

Progressive: happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step.

Example: A progressive decline in popularity

Synonyms: continuing, continuous, increasing, growing, developing, ongoing

Preferable: more desirable or suitable.

Example: Lower interest rates were preferable to higher ones

Synonyms: better, best, more desirable, more suitable, advantageous, superior

Abroad: in or to a foreign country or countries

Example: We usually go abroad for a week in May

Synonyms: overseas, out of the country, to/in foreign parts, to/in a foreign country

Consistent: unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.

Example: Manufacturing processes require a consistent approach

Synonyms: constant, regular, uniform, steady, stable, even, unchanging, undeviating

Exploitation: the action of making use of and benefiting from resources.

Example: The Bronze Age saw exploitation of gold deposits

Synonyms: utilization, use, making use of, making the most of, capitalization on

Revamped: give new and improved form, structure, or appearance to.

Example: An attempt to revamp the museum's image

Synonyms: renovate, redecorate, refurbish, recondition, rehabilitate, overhaul, make over