Click to play videoHuman Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday appointed a committee of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) directors to suggest the revised entrance system under which marks obtained in Class XII will be given importance along with the entrance marks.
Securing 60 per cent marks in Class XII will not be sufficient for the IIT aspirants from 2011.
The move is aimed at ensuring that students take their Class XII seriously and checking the growth of coaching centres, which are thriving across the country for imparting coaching to students for IIT entrance, Sibal said.
CNN-IBN discussed with education experts, Managing Director of Career Launcher, Gautam Puri and Principal of Springdales School, Ameeta M Wattal: How much weightage should Class XII Board exams be given for IIT aspirants?
CNN-IBN: The HRD Minister seems to suggest that by this proposal he would also crack down coaching institutes because he wants students to focus on their board exams and not just on their IIT preparations?
Gautam Puri: Unfortunately everyone seems to think that coaching institutes are the root cause of all evil in the country. Also unfortunately, this very step is going to become a big boost for the coaching institutes in the country as a student would now be forced not just to go for coaching for IITs but also for Class XII exams. So, it is a double benefit scheme as far as the coaching industry is concerned.
CNN-IBN: You don't believe students will now be more focused towards there class XII exams and not just spend nine months in the year studying for IITs?
Gautam Puri: I do believe they would be forced to focus on their board exams along with their IIT preparation. However, it will not reduce the focus on IIT preparation. On the contrary it will ensure that students will not only go for tuitions but also for IIT entrance. So they will have to prepare for two things simultaneously. It's a different thing if you want to do well in your IIT exam you still need to have your fundamentals of your board exams clear.
CNN-IBN: Do you believe that Class XII students must first do well in Board exams as coaching institutes are turning out to be factories.
Gautam Puri: I have never said that Board exams are not important. When we prepare students at Career Launcher we first make sure the students have their fundamentals clear. And only after we go to a higher-level problem which is what IIT focuses on. So you can't prepare for IIT without having your Board exams fundamentals in place.
CNN-IBN: Many believe that since the Class X Board exams have been given away, it's to increase the sanctity of the Class XII Board exam that this proposal has been brought about. Do you agree?Gautam Puri: No I don't agree with that.
CNN-IBN: How do you react to this entire proposal that Class XII Board exams have sanctity back, specially if you are appearing for an IIT joint entrance exam?
Ameeta M Wattal: I think it's a wonderful initiative and for sure it will make student more regular at schools and will also affect the tuition sector because there have been cases where children have been going on for their tuitions and not coming in to school. I think it's very important now that they will be taking schoolteachers seriously because they do feel that the schoolteachers teach the CBSE subjects far more concise and in a systematic manner than it is being taught at the coaching centres. So it will take a certain amount of beating.
CNN-IBN: What about students from places like Bihar where a coaching centre coaches students for IITs and has a high success rate. They say their students might not do well in school exams but we train them for IITs. Certain state boards might suffer dude to this development in regard to getting students into IITs?
Ameeta M Wattal: There has been so much emphasis on school learning systems. And for whatever it's worth whether CBSE or state board, one is looking at school education becoming more and more progressive and involved. It's an initiative, which has been launched in the last four to five years. So, I don't think this is going to happen.
CNN-IBN: What is the point? If a 60 per cent holder can get into an IIT why ask him/her for an 80 per cent?
Ameeta M Wattal: In that case why have school in Classes XI and XII at all, why not just do Class X. Education is not just about clearing an entrance exam, it's about life and learning and that is what a school system teaches. That is a very important space, which we can't forget specially between the ages of 14 and 16.
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