The Hindu : Front Page : Expert committee to review entrance test system: Baby

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 26, 2006

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Front Page

Expert committee to review entrance test system: Baby

Special Correspondent

N. Ram calls for an end to the practice of collecting capitation fee

INSPIRING STUDENTS: Education Minister M.A. Baby addressing the participants of the Pre-Counselling Guidance Programme for Professional Courses organised by The Hindu-Educationplus in association with State Bank of Travancore in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Joint Commissioner for Entrance Examinations S. Rajoo Krishnan, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu N. Ram, TIME Course Director Ajay Antony and former Director of Research, Kerala Agricultural University, C.K. Peethambaran are also seen. — Photo. S. Mahinsha

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Education Minister M.A. Baby has said the Government is examining the possibility of introducing online counselling for the Centralised Allotment Process (CAP).

Addressing students at the Pre-Counselling Guidance Programme for Professional Courses organised by The Hindu-Educationplus in association with State Bank of Travancore here on Sunday, the Minister said the idea was to infuse new technology for the convenience of students. The entrance examinations held this year will remain valid even if the Government introduces any reform.

Mr. Baby said the Government would set up an expert committee to review the entrance examination system as it had felt that some weightage should be given to the qualifying examinations. There are inadequacies both in the entrance examinations and the counselling programme. The Government wanted a competent authority to look into the matter. ``We do not want to give any direction to the expert committee.''

He said the Government was worried about the entrance coaching centres being run for the rich in the State. They are practising a sort of `rigorous imprisonment' of students. The Government is not planning a ban on such coaching centres. However, the Government wanted to do something on it with the support of right thinking people.

He said the The Hindu group of publications had preserved rich traditions while embracing modernisation.

Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu N. Ram said the Governments would have to evolve a method to put an end to the practice of some private self-financing colleges collecting donation or capitation fee.

He noted that unsavoury commercialisation of education was taking place in the country. Though the Supreme Court has banned capitation fee, lakhs of rupees change hands, depending on the stature of the college and the demand for the course, for management quota.

Commending the legislation being brought in by the Kerala Government to regulate admissions and the fee structure and for banning capitation fee, Mr. Ram said the need of the hour was to firm up a transparent, merit-based admission system, based on a common entrance test that could standardise the process. While Kerala had a stabilised Centralised Allotment Process, confusion and uncertainty were prevailing elsewhere in the country, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

He said it would not be possible, or necessary, to do away with entrance tests.

Stressing the need to keep drugs off the campus, Mr. Ram said the problem of drug abuse needed to be watched carefully. Steps ought to be taken to prevent the club culture from entering the educational milieu.

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