Dr. Md. Enamul Hoque :
The proverb goes saying- “Better late than never”. Delayed exam is better than “No Exam at all”. The examinations either annual or public are being cancelled one after another. But, examination should have been conducted either it is limited scale or in comprehensive format. It may be held online or offline, oral or written. Exam may be held later in a convenient time. Delayed exam is far better than ‘No Exam’. Many countries are now holding public and home examinations for their learners in different formats suitable to administer in the current pandemic situation. Of course, for a learner, assessment is a must, without which education is mostly incomplete.
Earlier, HSC and equivalent examinations were cancelled out of fear that they would increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission. The cancellation of HSC Examination has justifications; nevertheless, the decision has created huge academic debates in the society, and generates multifarious challenges for education boards and academic institutions to tabulate the process: How to make the results? How to make justice to the learners? How to accommodate the dissimilarities? These are now big challenges to address. It will pose long-term impact on the learners. Many experts opined that the HSC Examination would have been conducted in limited form scale at a later but convenient time. The examination might be conducted in phases observing the situation toward normalcy.
Most Recently, Education Minister Dipu Moni informed that no annual examination will be held this year for the secondary education from Class Six -Class Ten. She focused that the students will be given assignment every week. Experts and stakeholders already warned that by this decision, the rural students will be victims to the pronouncement; usually, the rural students suffer from many sorts of discrimination. Even in the pandemic, the urban students were more or less connected with the online education and assessments, while the rural students remained mostly out of the academic activities. So, no doubt, the decision of ‘No Exam’ at secondary level will push the rural students backward. So, the decision of ‘no examination’ at secondary level and above demands rethinking. However, the institutes under Bangladesh Technical Education Board may arrange examinations for their students, which may be treated as further discrimination. However, many students and their parents may congratulate the government for the decision of ‘No Exam’
It is not a wise act to push our learners to danger of the Covid-19 outbreak. Yet, a number of options and alternative formats are still in our hands to evaluate the students. Assessments can be split into sections and can be held in different phases. It may take longer period than usual routine. It is a common thought that students should not be awarded any academic upliftment without any assessment. Auto-pass will haunt our learners year after year. In addition, it may stick to their academic career as a permanent blemish.
During 1980s and 1990s, we experienced long session jams at the university level due to bloodshed, political clashes, and unwarranted closures, which wasted 3-5 academic years of a student. Now, the situation is changed, and no session jams prevail in any academic institutions. Then, why we are so impatient of delaying few months or a year to handle the situation with positive outlook. It must not be ignored that the pandemic has intensified the pressure on students who have been confined to home for a very long time before coming back to normal studying.
Holding the University Admission Test is now a crucial challenge for the university authorities as well as the admission seeker countrywide. The admission test must be held maintaining all health safeguards. In this context, the best possible option needs to be explored. The Dhaka University authorities decided that the first year undergraduate students will have to appear at admission tests in divisional cities in person. They also decided not to hold any online admission exams for academic year 2020-21. And the test marks have been cut off 100 from 200 which may be called a limited exam. It seems to be a right decision. The other public universities should follow the approach taken by the Dhaka University. It would be extremely good if admission test would be held in every district town.
First and foremost, the authorities must remember that safety for the students is the prime concern; either the test is held in divisional cities or in district towns. For the admission seeker, getting a high score remains the sole way for many students to get into top universities in Bangladesh, placing a heavy pressure on our young students. The tension not only comes from students’ fear of underperforming on the test, but also comes from family and society. The admission test is like a battlefield making the students nervous. This year, the scenario is somewhat different, where the life itself is in a threat due to the pandemic which intensified the extra pressure on the students.
Only the students registered for the exam should be allowed to enter the exam centre, and are required to wear a face mask, while their parents will have to wait outside. Before the exam, the students’ seating should be arranged adequately apart.
For thousands of years, exams have been used to assess students’ abilities and intelligence. But recently, we see schools have been opting for a different approach to assessment worldwide due to Covid-19 outburst. That stressful time of the year has come around and the assignment has its new place in assessing a students’ progress.
Many countries are now holding board and home examinations in new format in this stressful time in the current New Normal Context. They consider that cancellation of examination must not be a norm of repeated practice. It is because ‘Limited Exam’ is much better than ‘No Exam’; and also delayed exam is hugely better than cancellation of any exam. So, the proverb goes right saying – “Better late than never”.
The proverb goes saying- “Better late than never”. Delayed exam is better than “No Exam at all”. The examinations either annual or public are being cancelled one after another. But, examination should have been conducted either it is limited scale or in comprehensive format. It may be held online or offline, oral or written. Exam may be held later in a convenient time. Delayed exam is far better than ‘No Exam’. Many countries are now holding public and home examinations for their learners in different formats suitable to administer in the current pandemic situation. Of course, for a learner, assessment is a must, without which education is mostly incomplete.
Earlier, HSC and equivalent examinations were cancelled out of fear that they would increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission. The cancellation of HSC Examination has justifications; nevertheless, the decision has created huge academic debates in the society, and generates multifarious challenges for education boards and academic institutions to tabulate the process: How to make the results? How to make justice to the learners? How to accommodate the dissimilarities? These are now big challenges to address. It will pose long-term impact on the learners. Many experts opined that the HSC Examination would have been conducted in limited form scale at a later but convenient time. The examination might be conducted in phases observing the situation toward normalcy.
Most Recently, Education Minister Dipu Moni informed that no annual examination will be held this year for the secondary education from Class Six -Class Ten. She focused that the students will be given assignment every week. Experts and stakeholders already warned that by this decision, the rural students will be victims to the pronouncement; usually, the rural students suffer from many sorts of discrimination. Even in the pandemic, the urban students were more or less connected with the online education and assessments, while the rural students remained mostly out of the academic activities. So, no doubt, the decision of ‘No Exam’ at secondary level will push the rural students backward. So, the decision of ‘no examination’ at secondary level and above demands rethinking. However, the institutes under Bangladesh Technical Education Board may arrange examinations for their students, which may be treated as further discrimination. However, many students and their parents may congratulate the government for the decision of ‘No Exam’
It is not a wise act to push our learners to danger of the Covid-19 outbreak. Yet, a number of options and alternative formats are still in our hands to evaluate the students. Assessments can be split into sections and can be held in different phases. It may take longer period than usual routine. It is a common thought that students should not be awarded any academic upliftment without any assessment. Auto-pass will haunt our learners year after year. In addition, it may stick to their academic career as a permanent blemish.
During 1980s and 1990s, we experienced long session jams at the university level due to bloodshed, political clashes, and unwarranted closures, which wasted 3-5 academic years of a student. Now, the situation is changed, and no session jams prevail in any academic institutions. Then, why we are so impatient of delaying few months or a year to handle the situation with positive outlook. It must not be ignored that the pandemic has intensified the pressure on students who have been confined to home for a very long time before coming back to normal studying.
Holding the University Admission Test is now a crucial challenge for the university authorities as well as the admission seeker countrywide. The admission test must be held maintaining all health safeguards. In this context, the best possible option needs to be explored. The Dhaka University authorities decided that the first year undergraduate students will have to appear at admission tests in divisional cities in person. They also decided not to hold any online admission exams for academic year 2020-21. And the test marks have been cut off 100 from 200 which may be called a limited exam. It seems to be a right decision. The other public universities should follow the approach taken by the Dhaka University. It would be extremely good if admission test would be held in every district town.
First and foremost, the authorities must remember that safety for the students is the prime concern; either the test is held in divisional cities or in district towns. For the admission seeker, getting a high score remains the sole way for many students to get into top universities in Bangladesh, placing a heavy pressure on our young students. The tension not only comes from students’ fear of underperforming on the test, but also comes from family and society. The admission test is like a battlefield making the students nervous. This year, the scenario is somewhat different, where the life itself is in a threat due to the pandemic which intensified the extra pressure on the students.
Only the students registered for the exam should be allowed to enter the exam centre, and are required to wear a face mask, while their parents will have to wait outside. Before the exam, the students’ seating should be arranged adequately apart.
For thousands of years, exams have been used to assess students’ abilities and intelligence. But recently, we see schools have been opting for a different approach to assessment worldwide due to Covid-19 outburst. That stressful time of the year has come around and the assignment has its new place in assessing a students’ progress.
Many countries are now holding board and home examinations in new format in this stressful time in the current New Normal Context. They consider that cancellation of examination must not be a norm of repeated practice. It is because ‘Limited Exam’ is much better than ‘No Exam’; and also delayed exam is hugely better than cancellation of any exam. So, the proverb goes right saying – “Better late than never”.
(Dr. Enamul is a researcher and teacher trainer. Email: [email protected])
