Posted by Ninad on September 29, 2009 under All Posts | 
In the corporate world, one is used to a rating agency and the process of rating of a company. There are established rating agencies which regularly rate companies.
But, a rating agency for schools! It sounded incredible, till Kapil Sibal pushed it as part of his 100 day agenda.
Reputation and goodwill of a school is generally built over a period of time. Parents choose to send their children to a school based on the reputation it has acquired over time, and the consistent performance it has shown.
However, in recent times, we have seen several new schools spring up all over the country. Many school projects are in the pipeline and we will witness a large number of new schools jostling for the “reputation” of being a good school. You see so many advertisements of new schools – this was unheard of some years ago.
With this backdrop, the proposal to have all CBSE schools rated is welcome.
A draft note prepared by the CBSE Board has recommended that all CBSE schools should undergo formal accreditation by a set of rating agencies and repeat the process every few years.
There are more than 10,000 schools in India and abroad which are affiliated to the CBSE Board. Presently, the CBSE Board formally examines the quality of a school only at the time it seeks affiliation or wants to expand.
So, what will be the parameters for rating?
- Faculty
- Admission, assessment and evaluation procedure
- Physical infrastructure and other facilities (sports, extra-curriculars)
- Health & Safety of the students and teachers
- Contribution to community
- Complaints sent to rating agency
Private rating agencies can apply to the CBSE Board and get a license to become a rating agency. CBSE will set up an expert advisory committee to regulate these agencies.
When all this becomes operational, will it really have a big impact in the decision-making process of parents? Will it put pressure on schools to ensure that there is no slackening in the quality of the school to ensure that its rating remains high? Will it create more competition between schools?
A lot will depend on how the entire process of licensing and regulation is handled. If reputed rating agencies get into this activity, the entire methodology and process is bound to work well. In India, there is expertise available on rating of companies but rating agencies will need to build up expertise for rating of schools.
Good schools will always vie to get the highest rating and average schools will want to improve their ratings.
Even with a formal rating of a school, a parent will ultimately try and find out the actual reputation of the school. Rating will be an additional factor in the decision-making process.
Posted by Ninad on September 22, 2009 under All Posts |
Education is a regulated sector across the world. Most countries do not easily allow foreign universities to operate in their country and if they do allow, it is done with a lot of regulations.
In India, The Foreign Education Providers (Regulation) Bill has been waiting in the wings since 2007.
The Bill seeks to regulate the entry, operation and maintenance of foreign education providers.
It has been reported that Kapil Sibal, Education Minister has cleared the draft of Foreign Education Providers (Regulation) Bill and it will be placed before the Union Cabinet soon.
Once cleared by the Parliament, foreign universities will be able to offer degree programmes independently in India.
Presently, there are many foreign universities offering degree courses in India in partnership with local universities. Once the Bill is passed, foreign universities will be able to offer independent degrees, without the need to tie up with a local university.
The raison d’etre for this bill is that it will save millions of dollars as Indian students will be able to study in foreign universities while staying in India. More than 250,000 students from India are studying in various universities outside India.
Students will still travel abroad to get a holistic education experience –- after all, education is much more than a degree. Hence, it is unlikely to save foreign exchange.
Foreign universities operating in India will allow students who cannot afford to travel abroad to get the same degree in India. To that extent, it will cater to a different category of students.
If foreign universities start operating in India, it will give students a choice and expand higher education offerings in India. There is a huge gap in the demand and supply in higher education and foreign universities will fill some part of this gap. Hopefully, some of these foreign universities will also improve the culture of research in India.
Kapil Sibal has mentioned that some of the best universities in the world are waiting in the wings to set up shop in India. One only hopes that good quality education is provided by foreign universities and India does not become a happy hunting ground for mediocre universities.
We will have to wait for the details of the Bill. However, if it does become a law, it will augur well for the Education sector in India. Students in India will get a far better choice and competitive pressures will also improve the quality of the present education providers in India.
The good old days of getting a degree from Oxford University only in Oxford may be over — it might soon be available in Pune!
Posted by Ninad on September 14, 2009 under All Posts |
After I wrote the BLOG last week on the issue of optional exams for CBSE students, I have been discussing this with many friends.
One of my friends from Delhi had an interesting comment to make. He said that this concept was good in theory, but how will it really pan out in the real world? Will the student be at the mercy of the teacher? How will the student know that the grades are objective? Will it increase his servility to the teacher? Isn’t he entitled to take a test and compete equally with his peers?
This got me thinking…
As a society, we have been obsessed with exam percentages. This has happened due to the problem of sheer numbers. On the one hand, there is an acute shortage of good higher educational institutions driving up a huge demand for limited seats and concomitantly, higher percentages for entry. On the other, the number of students is so large that an examination system seemed to be the only clean, objective method of measurement — a standardized test of a child’s intelligence.
Another dimension is the impact across various strata of society. Is cut-throat competition for getting that extra mark a middle-class phenomenon? Do they see exam results and the ensuing entry into the best institutions for higher learning as the panacea towards upward mobility in society? The answer to both the questions is “Yes”.
Then, how do you convince these folks that they need not worry about exams? Will they feel that the concept of “no exams” is non-practical? And, will it blunt a child’s competitive spirit?
So, what are the challenges of the new system of grading?
- Re-orientation of teachers and parents. Both will need to adapt to the new system of learning and grading. The vicious circle of the need for high marks and exams will have to be broken with an attitudinal change.
- Uniform applicability across all schools. While some CBSE schools may adapt to this, others may not. Government schools, in particular, are struggling with far more pressing issues of salary payments, infrastructure etc. Shouldn’t they focus on these issues, rather than grapple with a new grading system?
- Preventing nepotism: This problem may happen in the implementation of the grading system. Parents will really have no option but to accept the teacher’s diktat. A proper redressal method should be evolved at the school level.
The grading system for CBSE will have many teething problems. However, if it is executed carefully by schools, it can really make a big difference in the alleviation of academic pressure on students.
I will end my BLOG post with a quote by William B. Yeats “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”.
Hopefully, the grading system will end up “lighting the fire” in a CBSE student!
Posted by Ninad on September 8, 2009 under All Posts |
Most of us have grown up in India in the traditional format of mugging up at the end of the term and appearing for an examination where you have to spew out all that you have studied through the year.
This will soon change for CBSE students.
The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) approved a decision on 31st August, 2009 to implement CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation). In simple words, it means that exams will become optional for Class X CBSE students from academic year 2010-11 onwards.
CABE is the apex education advisory body consisting of all state education ministers, independent educationists and key central ministers. In their meeting, Mr. Kapil Sibal, Education Minister, managed to get a broad consensus on education reforms, including making exams optional.
Under the CCE system, students will be evaluated throughout the academic year, consisting of two terms and there will be a formative assessment and summative assessment.
Formative assessment will include continuous assessment throughout the year. It will evaluate class work, homework, assignment and project work. There will be two evaluations in each term and each evaluation will carry 10 marks.
Summative assessment will require students to appear for exams at the end of each term. The first term exam will carry 20 marks and the second term exam will carry 40 marks. Students of class IX and X will be evaluated on a nine point grading system. Each grade will correspond to a range of marks:
Grade Marks
A1 95 and above
A2 90 to 94
A3 85 to 89
B1 80 to 84
B2 70 to 79
C1 60 to 69
C2 50 to 59
C3 33 to 49
D Less than 33
Students will also get grades for their co-scholastic and learning skills.
The option of grading in Class X instead of Board exams will be available only to students who will continue in the same school in Class XI.
So, does this move of optional exams for Class X students of CBSE augur well for the education system in India?
Yes, it does.
There is serious need for reform in the Indian education system. Giving flexibility to students to appear for exams is really a great first step.
The need to reduce exam related stress on students has been a long-standing demand of many educationists. In fact, a method of continuous assessment is far superior to a year-end examination.
Acceptance of this reform by CABE and all State education ministers is a big victory for Kapil Sibal. Making exams optional for Class X students of CBSE was stated by Kapil Sibal in his 100 day plan when he took over as the Union Education Minister. One of the big challenges that schools will face is the transition from a year end exam to a continuous assessment. With the large number of students in the school system, a year-end exam does have a fair bit of objectivity. A system of continuous assessment through the year does have the vulnerability of being subjective.
Whilst Kapil Sibal may have pulled off a coup of sorts by getting consensus on making exams optional for CBSE students of Class X, will other Boards follow suit?
