Recently, I came across a news item on the above heading published in Hindustan Times, Patna Edition. It says that there was a big mistake (blunder) in the Hindi versions of just concluded IIT-JEE 2010 question papers specially with regard to distribution of marks and printed instructions. This is likely to jeopardize the prospects of a large number of students belonging to Hindi belt, ie. Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, MP, Rajasthan etc.
Anand Kumar of Super 30 has reportedly said that such mistakes will ruin the prospects of students of rural background and government schools and for them it is a big letdown. He has also demanded that the JEE should consider taking re-examination. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also taken up the matter with Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal who has assured to look into the matter and that no student will be allowed to suffer on account of error in question papers.
Students, mostly from rural background, are protesting and are genuinely concerned about their future. IIT-JEE organizing committee however says that there are only “minor mistakes” here and there in the question papers. The committee has assured that these “mistakes” will be taken care of at the evaluation stage and the performance of the students will not be affected.
While I do not know what will be the fate of Hindi medium examinees, any mistake in the question paper must be addressed through re-examination only. Students’ performances in examinations are very much dependent on the material and the options available in the question papers. This is particularly true in examinations like IIT-JEE where every student tries to outperform the other to get a seat in IIT and in the process suffers severe mental tension during the examination. Mistakes in Hindi question papers cannot ensure level-playing field for the students to compete.
However, in my opinion the very concept of Hindi and English, two different versions of question papers, is not in the best interest of students. A Hindi medium student is definitely more comfortable in answering questions in Hindi, but after all he takes the examination in Hindi to study in an institute which teaches in English. The medium of instruction in IITs is not Hindi and therefore the students are forced to come out of the language comfort zone and, study and take further examinations at IITs in English only.
My intention is not to initiate any debate on Hindi vrs English, but my only suggestion is that the teaching in schools should be so oriented that students aspiring for IITs or the like institutions are made comfortable in writing examinations in English and there is nothing like Hindi version in IIT-JEE, unless IITs switch over to Hindi also as the medium of instruction.
Dr P R Prasad, Patna
Tags: Bihar, english medium, hindi medium, IIT, JEE, Jharkhand, super 30, teaching