Archive for July 20th, 2009

  
 

Universities Outsourcing The Examination and Evaluation Process

Admission is not possible without completion of all the formalities and formalities include submission of mark sheets and relevant certificates. For several renowned universities and institutions which see students coming from all over India, the formalities lead to major problems. As students come from various colleges and universities and each of them have their respective dates for the declaration of results, the students often fail to provide all the necessary documents resulting in denial of admission or grant of a provisional admission. Without a doubt, things will be much simpler if all institutions declare their results together.

An initiative along those lines is being taken in the state of Karnataka where the Examination Reforms Committee has suggested that a Karnataka State Universities Examination Authority (KSUEA), an autonomous institution to conduct examinations on behalf of all the universities, be set up so that results of all the universities of Karnataka can be declared at one time. This will reduce the burden of the universities as they won’t have to spend time on evaluations and preparation of mark sheets and can use the time to focus on academics. A panel of experienced professors will be roped in for evaluation and the authority may be run in a corporate style with a CEO at the helm. The sole function of this body will be to conduct and evaluate examinations while the degrees will be awarded by the respective universities.

If the proposal is accepted then Karnataka may become the initiator of a major makeover that will change the face of our education system. Hopefully this process will make the evaluation process faster and more efficient. However what I will be looking forward to is a system that will not just serve a state but the entire country so that delays in declaring results, malpractice, complaints about evaluation and re-examinations will be drastically reduced.

Stop by the Finishing School For Job Training on Your Way to the Industry

Conducting finishing schools for students on the threshold of entering the industry is emerging as a welcome initiative. I have come across several reports of colleges and universities arranging finishing schools which are all about putting the icing on the cake. Throughout the years spent on their courses, students have been made to focus primarily on theory and domain knowledge. However, as it is well known, you need a lot more than just domain knowledge to make yourself the right choice for recruiters. Finishing schools attempt to equip students with all the necessary extras to make them employable.

To instill confidence in the students to face recruitment tests and interviews, finishing schools train the participants in all they can expect from the selection process. Effective communication, logical reasoning, numerical and analytical prowess, group discussions and interviews are put under the limelight and plenty of practice sessions enable students to form a reasonably clear idea of the kind of questions that await them in the tests and interviews. Some finishing schools also incorporate workshops where students get trained in some important software which they will have to work with on a daily basis.

Much as I admire this concept, I hope institutions do not leave everything to the finishing schools and keep training students as they pursue their courses. Otherwise the finishing schools might be left with too much to handle and too little time in which to handle everything.