Why Make Examinations Larger-Than-Life Events?

THE SPEAKING TREE

Why Make Examinations Larger-Than-Life Events?

Pulkit Sharma

03.12.2021

It is commonplace to experience anxious thoughts, negative emotions, obsessive rituals, sleepless nights and butterflies in the stomach during examination time. Moderate levels of stress motivate us to work hard, overcome our limitations and give our best performance. However, when we are overly distressed, our worries can make us dysfunctional at the physical, emotional and behavioural levels. Consequently, an inner sense of vulnerability and hopelessness incapacitates us, stopping us from listening to the voice of reason. During this time, we may feel like a complete failure and see no hope in making an effort.

As a society which now believes firmly in competing, achieving and winning, we have erroneously turned examinations into larger-than-life events. We seem to have forgotten that an examination is just an innocuous assessment to tell us how well we have grasped a particular curriculum and where we need to improve in that specific programme. Whatever be the results of an examination, they can never change who we are and what we eventually do in our lives. Therefore, whenever we are stressed, we must remind ourselves that it is just one exam and in our long life, it is not going to be the end of the world. Life will give us many other chances to grow and evolve into a better person.

Letting go of this immense pressure, breathing out our worries and smiling freely during examinations is the right approach.

Comparing ourselves with others builds a lot of fear in our psyche and derails our progress. Rather than thinking about either defeating others or getting defeated by them, we should drop this unhealthy thought process and make self-perfection our long-term goal. Let us always strive to improve ourselves, working hard on overcoming our weaknesses and realising our inherent potential.

Give up smaller, mundane goals to pursue a higher ideal is the key. We can create a broad vision by visualising a better self imagining a healthy body, a strong mind, a happier self, harmonious relationships and a meaningful life. Reminding ourselves of this vision and working on it consistently will take us closer to the transcendent point of psychic evolution.

At a larger level, we also need to introspect and reform our education system. We seem to be teaching children almost everything apart from who they are, what the purpose of their birth is, how they can fulfil it, and how they can know themselves better. These questions are generally dismissed as being too esoteric for young minds and it is implied that such concerns fall outside the purview of modern education systems. But without such opportunities for inner reflection and deeper self-knowledge, our children end up wasting their energies in trivial pursuits and worrying about pointless things. Later in life, when some of them realise this, it is too difficult for them to abandon flawed assumptions and start afresh.

We need our children to be in a perpetual state of fulfilment, growth, tranquillity and joy regardless of the ups and downs of their life. Therefore, let us think of ways to empower them so that they awaken from their present state of ignorance and pursue the fullness inherent within them.

The writer is a clinical psychologist in Puducherry

Expensive tests at airport

Expensive tests at airport

02/12/2021

As stricter COVID-19 testing norms at airports kicked in from Wednesday, passengers from “at-risk” countries had to brace for massive queues, long waiting time for test results and missed connecting flights.

Their only way out was to pay for the expensive Rapid PCR test that cost up to ₹4,500 — nearly nine times the regular test.

Resident doctors boycott OPD over NEET-PG counselling delay

Resident doctors boycott OPD over NEET-PG counselling delay

Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors’ Association has called for a Statewide agitation

02/12/2021

Seeking a remedy: Members of the resident doctors’ association staging a dharna at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Wednesday. B. JOTHI RAMALINGAMB. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

Several postgraduate medical students, under the banner of Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors’ Association, boycotted outpatient department (OPD) services as a sign of protest over the delay in holding counselling for NEET-PG 2021.

As part of the Statewide protest, the resident doctors decided to stay away from OPD services from Wednesday until their demand to conduct counselling was met. In Chennai, the doctors staged demonstrations at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) and the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital.

While the NEET-PG was held in September, counselling had not been conducted because of a case in the Supreme Court over the EWS quota. “First, the NEET-PG was postponed and held in September. Now, the counselling has been delayed. This led to washout of an entire academic year for medical students,” said a doctor at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital.

Faced with financial constraints, many aspirants were in a dilemma as to whether to wait for counselling or take up employment.

“The next court hearing is scheduled to be held in January. It will take another two or three months [to get a clear picture]. So, the government should conduct counselling on an urgent basis by following the existing reservation structure,” a resident doctor of RGGGH said.

The association urged the Centre and the Supreme Court to take note of the grievance of resident doctors and take steps to expedite NEET-PG counselling as well as the admission process and speed up court proceedings.

The delay in admission had caused a strain on the existing resident doctors. They said the workload of the existing postgraduate doctors had increased as they were involved in COVID-19 vaccination, flood relief camps and dengue management.

DVAC search at house of former MKU Controller of Examination

DVAC search at house of former MKU Controller of Examination

Documents of 22 vehicles and properties seized

02/12/2021

Special Correspondent MADURAI

Sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption on Wednesday seized documents of 22 vehicles and properties from the residence of former Controller of Examination, Madurai Kamaraj University, O. Ravi, 57, who has been charged with amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A day after DVAC DSP M. Sathyaseelan filed a first information report against Ravi and his wife Sumathi on Tuesday under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Inspectors A. Kannan, K. Kumaraguru, A. Ambrose and T. Suryakala conducted a surprise house search during which the documents were seized.

A DVAC source said 18 rental vehicles, including 12 vans, were registered in the name of Sumathi, a homemaker. Besides, they found documents of properties in the name of Sumathi, their daughter and son-in-law.

Ravi is now the Principal of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar College, Usilampatti.

Based on specific information, DVAC conducted an investigation into his income and wealth between July 2013 and June 2020 and found that the family had acquired wealth of ₹2.91 crore over and above the known sources of income.

CBSE exam question on 2002 riots causes stir

CBSE exam question on 2002 riots causes stir

It violated guidelines, says CBSE

02/12/2021

Priscilla Jebaraj NEW DELHI

A question in the Class 12 Board examination of the CBSE on sociology on Wednesday has created a stir. “The unprecedented scale and spread of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place under which Government?” asked question no. 23 in the sociology paper. The choices offered to students were: “(a) Congress (b) BJP (c) Democratic (d) Republican.”

“A question has been asked in today’s Class 12 sociology Term 1 exam which is inappropriate and in violation of the CBSE guidelines for external subject experts for setting question papers. The CBSE acknowledges the error made and will take strict action against the responsible persons,” said a statement on the CBSE’s Twitter handle.

Several teachers said the question was within the syllabus. In the textbook “Indian Society”, a chapter on “The challenges of cultural diversity” includes a section on communalism.

“To the extent that Governments can be held responsible for communal riots, no Government or ruling party can claim to be blameless in this regard,” says a paragraph on page 134 of the text approved by the NCERT.

“In fact, the two most traumatic contemporary instances of communal violence occurred under each of the major political parties. The anti-Sikh riots of Delhi in 1984 took place under a Congress regime. The unprecedented scale and spread of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place under a BJP Government.”

Another teacher who has previously set questions for the CBSE agreed that the question was within the syllabus, but noted that the Board’s guidelines for examination papers were more restrictive. “Ensure that the questions should be class-neutral, religion-neutral, not touching the controversial, social, political, critical issues under the prevailing conditions in the country,” say the guidelines seen by The Hindu.

Problems galore in BU Syndicate election

Problems galore in BU Syndicate election

02/12/2021

Special CorrespondentCoimbatore

Election of four persons to the Bharathiar University Syndicate, it appears, is running into problems.

In October this year, the University issued a notification to elect four persons to the Syndicate – two from the teachers’ constituency and a like number from the principals’ constituency in the Senate. It had said that November 9 would be the last date for receipt of nomination and November 16 the date for withdrawal of nominations and the election will be held on December 8.

Earlier, the University had accepted applications for inclusion of names in the voters’ list for the two constituencies.

After the University published the list of candidates in the fray in the teachers’ constituency, it came to light that one of the contestants – D. Gnana Senthil Kumar, a faculty of a self-financed college in Tiruppur district, was not even a voter in the teachers’ constituency.

Clerical error

When this was raised with the University authorities, the reply was that Mr. Kumar was very much a voter in the teachers’ constituency and the failure to include his name in the voters’ list was a clerical error.

The second, according to sources, was a few persons had approached the University to include names of 22 persons who were either principals or principals in-charge in self-financed colleges but were not in the voters’ list.

After the move came to light, the Association of University Teachers objected to it saying inclusion of names after the finalisation of voters’ list, notification of election and finalisation of candidates was illegal.

The Association’s State president P. Thirunavukkarasu, in his note to Vice Chancellor P. Kaliraj, said as per election rules, inclusion of names at such a very late stage in election was arbitrary and illegal.

The final electoral rolls the University had published on November 8 was final.

Objection

Sources said one of the four contestants in the fray in the principals’ constituency objected to the inclusion of names in electoral rolls.

Vice-Chancellor Mr. Kaliraj said it was true that a move was made to update the rolls. But the University had decided against it because it had had given ample time for updating electoral rolls in both the constituencies.

As for the candidature of Mr. Kumar, Mr. Kaliraj said the application for inclusion of his name in voters’ list was submitted well before the deadline.

HC rejects student’s plea for govt seat

HC rejects student’s plea for govt seat

BDS Candidate Wanted To Swap Pvt Seat

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:03.12.2021

The high court rejected a petition filed by a student seeking permission to participate in the mop-up round of counselling to get a government seat. He is already enrolled in Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course at Sri Jagadguru Murugarajendra Dental College and Hospital, Chitradurga, under private quota.

P Prajwal from Bengaluru contended that many students less meritorious than him were allowed to participate in the mop-up round.

However, a division bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe said the petitioner had participated in counselling, been allotted a seat and even paid admission fee. “He has no right to seek a government seat after having taken admission in the first round under private quota,” the bench observed. It said Prajwal had neither furnished details of the “less meritorious” candidates nor impleaded them in the writ petition.

Prajwal appeared for NEET 2020 and secured an all-India rank of 2,14,774. He participated in counselling and was allotted a private quota seat. He paid the fee and joined the college in Chitradurga. However, Prajwal claimed he learnt through an RTI plea that many candidates less meritorious than him were allotted government seats in the course during the mop-up round. He subsequently approached the court seeking a direction to consider his candidature for a government seat and adjust the excess fee paid.

‘Deadline over’

Counsel for the government and Karnataka Examinations Authority said the petitioner was allotted a seat in the first round of counselling under private quota and the last date for admission to the course was now over.

Centre, UGC told to decide college status

The high court directed the central government and University Grants Commission to pass within two months a reasoned order on the status of Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital (RRMCH), Bengaluru.

A division bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe said both have to comply with the procedural mandate contained in UGC Regulations, 2016, and decide on inclusion of the college under the ambit of Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, a deemed-to-be university, after taking into account the state government’s views.

The bench noted that in this case, the procedure was not followed as UGC did not take into account views of the government and approved and forwarded to the Centre an expert committee’s recommendation. Based on this, on February 14, 2019, the Centre issued a notification transferring RRMCH to the Chennai-based institution.

On November 3, 2020, a single-judge bench quashed the Centre’s order. The bench pointed out that UGC shouldn’t have made a recommendation without considering Karnataka’s objections.

A direction was also issued for restoring the medical college to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bengaluru. The plea of Moogambikai Charitable and Educational Trust, Bengaluru, was dismissed.

The trust managing RRMCH had challenged the state government’s May 16, 2019, order and the June 29, 2019, decision of RGUHS not to allow disaffiliation of the college. TNN