Why India needs fewer entrance tests and more educational opportunities

By Sandeep Pandey* 

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy shows no signs of fading. To make matters worse, the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system recently encountered serious problems, while the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), had to be reconducted for 3,765 candidates because of technical glitches. The NTA was already under scrutiny due to the NEET paper leak controversy. Following the OSM fiasco, CBSE took over the re-evaluation exercise from the private agency COEMPT Eduteck.

These incidents are merely the tip of the iceberg. Even if NEET is conducted again with the assistance of the Air Force, as the government has proposed, there is no guarantee that future leaks or irregularities can be prevented. The Indian education system is deeply compromised. Copying, unfair practices, plagiarism, nepotism, and corruption have become widespread because we have come to value examination scores more than the process of education itself. Education in India has increasingly become a farce, with little connection to the acquisition of real-life knowledge and skills.

If education is fundamentally a process of learning, then learning itself should be accorded the highest importance. A teacher who teaches a student over an extended period is often the best judge of that student's learning and development. Therefore, a certificate from the teacher qualitatively describing the student's level of understanding and competence should be sufficient for evaluation. Examinations—particularly those based on numerical marks—can be dispensed with entirely from kindergarten to postgraduate education.

When students complete school and seek admission to higher education programmes, the constitutional principle of equality of opportunity should guide the process. Every student should have the opportunity to pursue the field of study of their choice. For instance, all students wishing to study medicine should be allowed to enrol in a medical education programme. During the first one or two years of study, students could assess their aptitude and interests before choosing among MBBS, BDS, Pharmacy, Nursing, or other related programmes. Those who discover that they are unsuited to the medical field should be allowed to switch disciplines altogether, at any stage of their education.

It is the government's responsibility to create sufficient institutions and seats to accommodate all aspiring students. If adequate capacity is not immediately available, the first year or two of medical or other professional education could be conducted in the schools from which students completed Class XII. Online education can provide access to the best teachers, while local educators can facilitate the learning process. Ideally, students should seek admission to institutions closest to their homes, and admissions should be managed directly by those institutions, eliminating the need for centralised admission systems and entrance examinations. If an institution has reached its capacity, students could apply to the next nearest institution.

All private medical educational institutions should be nationalised. The Uttar Pradesh government's initiative to establish a medical college in every district is a step in the right direction. Large buildings, especially those inherited from the colonial era, such as the Governor's House in Lucknow, could be repurposed as medical education institutions. The nearby Civil Hospital could be attached to such an institution for clinical training. Small private clinics, particularly those located nearby, could be integrated to create larger hospitals and teaching facilities. Similarly, private hospitals should be nationalised and linked to nearby medical education institutions. Coaching centres should be banned, and qualified coaching instructors should be recruited as teachers in government institutions based on their qualifications and experience.

Some may ask whether such a system would produce more doctors than the country can employ. However, given the overcrowding of public hospitals, patients being treated on stretchers due to the lack of beds, and tragic incidents such as a woman giving birth in the parking lot of a government hospital in Faridabad because no doctor or medical staff could be found after midnight, the shortage of medical personnel is evident. Equally disturbing was the case of an ASHA worker who died during childbirth in a private hospital in Sonbhadra after medical staff allegedly abandoned her with her abdomen left open. These incidents suggest that India needs far more doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers than it currently has. Furthermore, the establishment of new medical institutions will require additional professors and teaching staff. The country presently faces a significant shortage of medical professionals. This artificial scarcity and the intense competition it generates must be dismantled.

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*Secretary General, Socialist Party (India)