Someone, somewhere has said that "whenever I find a key to success, someone changes the lock" such is the case with our education system where getting admission to post graduate degree is becoming hard task to achieve, every now and then changing criteria, mind boggling IQ based practice guides, skill enhancing slogans by large number of academies, where one gets easily lost amidst academic intricacies of system afterwards falling prey to pseudo institutions. Today an entry test is considered to be a key to unlock various academic doors leading to certain domains. Previously Pakistan had UGC (University Grants commission) in order to conduct admissions in entire universities all over Pakistan that body was not functioning effectively.
Then came revolution in education scenario of Pakistan along with the advent of Dr. Attaur Rehman, who completely changed and modified this system under the label of HEC (Higher Education Commission). Now the situation is that approximately all universities follow one academic calendar year in order to maintain the quality of education. To keep pace with the modern world it was need of hour to give admissions to those students who were eligible enough and could compete at international level. For this purpose HEC introduced various foreign as well as indigenous scholarships, criterion of competence was to judge English reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. To equate Pakistani students with international students and to check their aptitude in certain subjects, there was a yardstick to measure communication and analytical skills along with the decision power, the name of this international test was GRE (Graduate Record Examination) conducted by ETS (Educational Testing System).
On this pattern Pakistan also introduced an entry test in order to cater a large number of students out there; a body was established on the footprints of ETS called NTS (National Testing System). Being new in the field and having lack of expertise, NTS collapsed in the beginning in order to accommodate enormous students seeking admission to master degree, which afterwards resulted in quashing this new way of enrollment thus universities conducted admission through the same traditional style.
While on the other hand, aspiring candidates for M.phil and PhD programme were limited so NTS carried out test, based on international GRE pattern. After a year or so NTS developed NAT for the graduates seeking admission to Master degree and GAT for those looking for M.phil and also who were applying for fellowship. But major drawback in this system was that it lacked in Subject test and only General test was available, this made the situation quite intricate for those who were seeking admission to humanities group even then they had to go through mathematical and analytical portion. That comprised Verbal Ability 50%, Quantitative Ability 25%, and Analytical Ability 25%. The pattern was best suited for the students of sciences and social sciences, recently NTS has introduced subject tests but the range is very limited and specifically for those who are going for PhD.
There is computerized checking system for GAT and NAT, but the process of rechecking contains many loopholes; moreover many students are getting quite unexpected results. Few university HODs do not agree to this system owing to its intricacies, they are of the view that students of far-flung areas remain oblivious of all such process usually end up devoid of admission even holding good score in their respective subjects.
Another side of picture is that many institutes and academies are manipulating this situation. Preparing for such entry tests entails an extra burden for students in terms of time, money and energy along with the feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Candidates from remote areas stay at hostels adjacent to such academies just to enhance their skill of taking test, the whole package costs enough amount equal to one semester fee of a worthy degree at renowned university.
Although this can be termed an effective yardstick to measure competence of aspirants, but those who have no aptitude for Quantitative and Analytical portions and whose mainstream is humanities group, face dire complications.
In short NTS should introduce subject test comprising questions of related subject only. Recently Punjab Education Minister has declared that there should be no need to hold entry test and students should be given admission on the basis of their result, moreover students are not well prepared to appear in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based entry test after qualifying their mostly subjective examinations. Keeping in view these issues, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool held a meeting with vice chancellors of public sector universities and decided that the National Testing System (NTS) would not be compulsory and respective universities along with their academic departments could decide to accept the NTS test or hold their own entry tests in order to complete their admission criterion. In addition to this, he said the Education Department had also held a meeting with stakeholders regarding holding of entry test and the type of questions to be asked in the test.
Such is the education scenario in Pakistan all messy and muddled, how can one longs for earning a smooth degree among all such paradoxes and changing parameters. By introducing this entry test our system has borrowed a fragment from foreign education system rather taking whole infrastructure, students being devoid of analytical approach at elementary and secondary school level cannot solve riddles over nightly, where as that requires specific skill. Unless we uproot cramming syndrome, cannot expect conceptual and analytical output from young lot, moreover it depends on education system, semester system is far better than annual system. Through semester system students learn to work in fragments systematically with thorough comprehension that would ultimately help them take such kind of IQ based tests adroitly.
| BY EMMA ALAM |
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