[The views expressed in this article are my personal opinions. These views may not be same as that of Eduflix]
Just few days back, we had announcements floating in the newspapers about Governments decision to go ahead with scrapping IIT JEE and introducing a new exam called ISEET (Read: ISEET to replace IIT JEE and AIEEE). Surprisingly, there were no follow ups to this news item. This has added more to the confusion of students specially who are planning to appear for IIT JEE or AIEEE in 2013. Should one prepare for JEE or ISEET? With clues from the news articles, it also seems that the pattern of ISEET is going to be very different from JEE. ISEET will have comprehension, logical reasoning and critical thinking as part of the test process. In addition, now 12th board marks will have at least 40% weightage for the entrance.
I find it hard to fathom the reason for this decision. It is too early to say whether it is going to be a right decisions or wrong decision but let us try to look at various aspects revolving around it based on the current facts -
1. Would scrapping of IIT JEE reduce stress among students? If IIT JEE or AIEEE causes stress in students, wouldn’t ISEET also cause stress among students? In fact, with addition of new variables in the test [ISEET Main will test comprehension, logical reasoning and critical thinking], my guess is that ISEET is going to be even more stressful.
2. Would it end the coaching culture that has sprung in recent years? Hardly so. Because coaching classes are businesses built to serve the unmet need. They will keep coming or transform themselves – how does it matter whether it is IIT JEE or ISEET? Today they have developed competencies in preparing students for IIT JEE. Once they know the kind of questions asked in ISEET, they will adapt themselves accordingly.
3. Would it reduce the achievement gap between Metros and non-metros or rural and urban areas or rich and poor? If I take the sample space of my batch in IIT – majority of these were from middle class or lower middle class families coming from tier-2 or tier 3 towns [although I do not have hard data to support this]. This roughly also means that JEE actually reduced the achievement gap by bringing people up from economically weaker backgrounds.
4. Extending the point 3 further – In fact I think that introducing ISEET is further going to enhance the economic gap. With introduction of comprehension etc, students going to non-english medium schools will certainly be at disadvantage. And with inclusion of 12th board marks, students going to not-so-good schools will be at disadvantage. In IIT JEE era, they had to just bear with three subjects – Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Lack of good teachers is going to hurt more to these disadvantageous kids. For example – one 11th grader student (and Eduflix subscriber) from tier-3 city secured 99 percent in PCM in 10th exam [all by self-study, let truth be told - her school teachers suck]. But she obtained just 70/100 in English. She cannot even speak fluently in English. How is she going to compete with an another kid in Metro going in one of the best schools of India? Eduflix (and organizations like us) will try to help, but that cannot be an excuse to introduce new problems.
5. How are you going to normalize the marks across boards? There are 24 Education Boards in India (Source). As far as I know they are completely independent except that the course structure is advised by NCERT. Exams are different and so are the complexity levels for these exams. There were suggestions from decision-making body that normalizing marks across board can be done using statistical models. Oh well, these statistical models have been used “successfully” in the past in weather reports, financial models and social sciences – and going by their success rates I have zilch confidence in them. And please note, this is about future career of millions of students. By a small error in your model, thousands of students can get affected.
So if not these, what is the reason for introducing this new confusion among students and adding to their stress? Why change things that have been working perfectly fine for so many years? Why not solve real problems that are facing our country (Hint: Primary Education)?
It is a way of diverting the public attention from the fact that real problems will not be solved. Instead the common man will have to make do with “name change” ( just look at the list of cities & states) a fairly common time tested and very successful way to show that there is some sort of activity going on. If someone were to ask the question “What was done in the education sector?” Answer will be the name of exam was changed.
The above article has listed out this very fact that problems faced by the education sector will only increase.
Hence it is clearly up to individuals or small groups of concerned citizens to selflessly do whatever they can to help. It may seem small and insignificant at the basic level but many such small self-help initiatives by a lot of individuals can make a difference just like little drops of water make a mighty ocean.
Gandhi quote “you must be the change you want to see in the world.” is very apt for here.
True words khoj4gyan!
Is there will be any change in iit 2013
Ashutosh, there is no clarity yet. Will update in this space as soon as there is final decision.
ISEET is wrong decision. It will give bad name in talent world. it will take india back to 100s of years.
1)Will the main part be mcq and Advance part be subjective?
or will both parts be mcq based?
2)Will this change from jee to iseet be implemented in year 2013?I’m in 11th currently so will this affect me?
All help is appreciated…
Thanks
1) As of now, it seems that it would be mcq
2) Again it seems that it will be effective from 2013 itself
It is too early to make adverse comments on the ISEET. In a country like India every change cannot be acceptable to many of us thanks to our multiple complexes based on the conventional rights and wrongs.
If ISEET brings back the importance of learning English with more objectivity, persons like me have to accept it.I hope the ISEET will auger well for English teachers like me.
M.D Dinesh Nair,
Lecturer in English,
NRI Academy, Vijayawada.
pattern have been changed or not
pattern of iit have been changed or not??????
Ashutosh, JEE pattern would be changed, but there are some unanswered questions that need to come officially. Please follow up discussions, going here – http://eduflix.tv/ask/tags/iseet
This is totally wrong. As it is one has to get 60% in board exams so why not continue with that or make it 75 or 80% why this weightage stuff? Also what is the point of diluting JEE? If they dont dilute it how will students who are doing CET now in regional languages cope with it. Also so much pressure to do well in boards. At least jee can be attempted twice what about boards?
im currently done with my 10th grade and i want to MBIPC as my subject for 11th and 12th. will i be able to appear for both NEET and ISEET??…
Iseet is like a golden opportunity for those students who only believe in self studies… but main problem is with those students who taking aieee/jee coaching… their money and time will be spoiled… but we should understand that in our country there are many brilliant minds who cannot afford money for aieee/jee coaching… iseet give equal opportunity to every student… in case for the students who r taking aieee/jee coaching… iseet would much a lot easier to score excellent marks than in aieee/jee… so why they opposes the iseet system… according to me introduction of iseet will be a revolutionary change in the corrupt system of our education… therefore iseet should introduce as early as possible.
changes leads to the development of the country… but morons don’t know this…
sir i pass 10th in 2009 and 11th in 2010 i will gave 12th exam in 2011and 2012 but i can not arange good marks so i will appeare 12th this year ,can i take exam of iseet 2013 exam