The idea of centralised exams has always baffled me. Do they really measure merrit or test for understanding? To me the answer has obviously been a No.
For recruitment and placement, they seem like a claim on a food package - "Untouched by hands". It is absurdly simplistic to even imagine that this makes the system fair. It would be hard to even prove that the results are even fairer than ANY system. Consider the example of the elitist Ivy League universities - they give preference to children of alumni, children of large donors, children of highly influential people. The system may be blamed for providing unfair advantage to some but never that the system itself is unfair. In fact, it might be argued that this system provides an opportunity for people from my class to make contacts that can provide opportunities, which may otherwise be hard to come by in our capitalistic society.
Our problem is different in that there are so many aspirants and so few opportunities. Hence, the first recognition has to be that far too many people who could be admitted will not be. In NEET, we are talking not of the elite institutions but all. We need to accept that the results of an exam are a lottery. They may be a test of competence but not an absolute one. The results will vary with the exam. The results may even vary depending upon when or where the exams are held.. This is true even if there is no leakage!
Solution:
- Accept uncertainty in the merit list. Perfect list is impossible.
- Do not take one exam as the only one to determine a list
- Choose as many criterion as you believe are useful even if the value assigned is hard to quantify. E.g. to be a doctor, I would like to know if a candidate is 'empathetic'.
- Assign weightages to each category based on social need and values. These weightages may be changed. In fact, each institution could be free to select its own weightages.
- Finally, DO NOT create an ordered list.
- So, far all the above are determined by HUMANS. Now technology can be used to compute a consolidated score for each.
- The consolidtaed score is a probability weight, which can be used by the system to create the selected list.
- In fact as many customised lists can be created as there are institutions based on the weightages for that instituion.
- It is easy for a student to apply on one site and specify the preferences for the institutions.
- A side benefit - fixed quotas for various categories could be replaced by weightages and the stigma of being from a quota removed.
- How about adding a negative weight for those attending tution factories 😁 or a positive one for those who haven't!
