Panel for internal, external exams in higher education

A government-appointed panel has recommended introduction of internal and external examination system in the higher educational institutions for continuous and comprehensive evaluation of the students' performance up to PhD level in a slew of measures to overhaul the existing systems.

Stressing on the need to do away with the rote learning, the 10-member committee in its report to the University Grants Commission (UGC) has also recommended for evolving “a universal framework” to assess the students' learning outcome through examinations, instead of just testing their memory.

The panel has suggested for replacing the current system of “absolute grading” of students' performance in their examinations with the system of “relative grading,” followed by the best of the higher education institutions in different parts of the world.

“Taking into consideration the ground realities, the higher education institutions can begin with the internal and external examinations (giving weightage to them) in the proportion of 30:70 (respectively),” suggested the committee, headed by M M Salunkhe, vice chancellor of Bharati Vidyapeeth, a deemed-to-be university in Pune.

The institutions should eventually start giving internal and external examination weigtage in the proportion of 50:50 “in a time-bound manner,”

“In exceptionally high ranking higher education institutions, the (internal and external examination) ratio can be 60:40,” it added.

The committee has pitched for “drastic reforms” in the current system of setting examination papers, recommending that the UGC should prepare a comprehensive question bank for all the subjects.

While setting question papers, question lists can be drawn “in a pre-decided proportion, say 70:30,” from the question banks and the list of questions to be submitted by the independent paper setters respectively.

“The composition of a question paper should be such that an average student should not find it hard to get passing grade while it should real challenge to a good student,” it added.

The committee also favoured moderation of the students' examination scores “at every stage” through “a dependable and transparent” evaluation system”

“Moderation at different stages like assessment, re-assesment, post evaluation should be mandatory," it said, suggesting for setting up of examination reforms cells in every higher education institution and examination reforms committee in every state.