Educational Boards and Evaluation Online- Prof R R Pillai
Education Boards like CISCE, CBSE AND MSBSHSE are in the process of switching to online evaluations of answer sheets of Board examinations. Mounting student population and proportionately low level of available evaluators is pressing the boards to go online. Hand writing recognition soft ware will ease the problem of manual correction. With technology available at hand such gigantic work of evaluating lakhs of answer sheets every year will become much easier.Results can be declared within time frame. Students wishing to seek admissions in professional courses and colleges will not lose precious time due to delay in declaration of Board results , which has become an annual irritant.
So use of technology will fix many problems of student world given the massive careful work input needed for better outcomes. But the Boards are depending on private firms who owns and holds these soft ware. The answer sheets the Board says will be handed over to these private firms who will scan these answer sheets and make them ready for evaluation by examiners.
There lies the problem. How can it be ensured that these private firm wont allow tampering manipulations, altering of answers for consideration. In the past many areas where the government depended on a private agency to deliver services, agencies were involved doing wrongs to help vested interests and corruption and scams have put the government on back foot.
Board exam results are very crucial for jobs, admission to higher institutes of learning. Given the mind sets of many parents who are willing to pay money for manipulation of marks and agencies are too willing to help for consideration, the Boards wlll have to find a foolproof solution. Else the Medicine will turn worse than the disease itself,rather than cure it.
Officials promise that special measures have been put in place to prevent wrongs. Can we believe these officials words and their assurances. Given the past records of Babudom we cannot but take that with a pinch of salt. And chances are Babus will try to bolt the stable when the horses have galloped past.
There’s always the first time cheaters hence any process tried first in larger interest must be also zero error system. Else there may be built in loopholes in this delivery system of online evaluation that will be exploited by vested interests at the cost genuine meritorious student. No use crying over spilled milk, when the container itself is built for such spilling.
What’s the answer then ? We need Technology.Technology is available. We have to just ensure that it is allowed to be used for advantage of one at the cost of the other. Effective use of Technology is the need of the hour.
Private firm doing the job as a channel partner should be done away with especially in this evaluation process. It must in total control of the Board and Teachers/employees. If an employee of a private firm is caught after doing the wrong he may be silently sacked without much noise. But a government employee has more stakes,in terms of permanency of employment and pension benefits.Hence he will be more cautious before indulging in some corrupt practice in these days of transparency.
Government employees can be trained for such jobs and they can do the job of scanning etc in government premises which will ensure no manipulations with panache which private firms are often caught doing while functioning as government agency. Of course one cant deny there are reputable agency but rare to get in Indian soil.
Look at AADHAR card. Nandini coming from reputed Infosys known for excellent management handled the job as Chief. We know the delays and duplication and frauds that have put a big question mark.
Boards should learn to play with zero error when it comes to evaluation of Answer sheets. Promoting the mediocre and depriving the merit must be avoided at all cost. When education is privatized these jobs too can be. Till then government should own all processes too which delivers foolproof services to students. Minimum governance is okay,but not where the waters have not been tested fully. Private wolves must be kept at bay till such time !
