Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation Pattern Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation Pattern Essay It is ironic that Kapil Sibal declared at 125th Birth Anniversary celebrations of great Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan that exam-centric education system would have to go. One wonders what Ramanujan himself would say – â€Å"Mr. Minister, even I am a product of exam centric education system†? Kapil Sibal says he would like to replace the current system with a child-centric one. Now that is a very interesting term. So how does the minister define the term? Expressing his determination to do away with rote learning and the â€Å"archaic† examination-oriented system, he said: â€Å"We are endeavouring to reform this with emphasis on skill development and unlocking the creative talent within the child. † The Ministry’s decision to do away with examinations at the end of the year, replacing them with a Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation (CCE) system in a bid to de-stress children, was a step in that direction. [Link] Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation has its benefits. It has to be, however, said that CCE will not de-stress the children all by itself. Students are under stress due to the range of competition. Imagine a candidate appearing for IIT JEE during +2. He faces at least 7 lakh others across the country. Imagine what goes on in the family, forget the candidate! Every IIT graduate has a story to tell as to how many sacrifices the complete family makes for success at the exam! CCE has its benefits and can de-stress the students but in an autonomous organization with tight controls within the organization. For example, some engineering colleges at graduate level and almost all of them at post-graudate level use it to the maximum benefit of both students and professors. The system is a success at these places because of the autonomy. JNTU implemented CCE in engineering colleges affiliated to it. It had limited impact and yet, it couldn’t do away with the final exam. The final exam had to cover 80% of the total score. CCE makes sense when the number of institutions involved is less. Another important factor that influences the impact of CCE is the physical proximity of affiliated institutions. Otherwise fraud and cheating would happen as the case is with JNTU’s example. Understanding the issue JNTU faced several issues with implementing CCE is more than 100 colleges in AP affiliated to it at the time of introduction of the system. They started with 80% external evaluation in the form of final comprehensive exam and 20% internal evaluation across the semester via 5 exams conducted by the instructor. Due to lack of feedback mechanism between students and the governing body – JNTU, the system led to several problems. There were cases of cheating and fraud. JNTU wanted to solve this problem by making internal evaluation â€Å"not so internal† through online objective evaluation. For this, an internal evaluation question bank was created through suggestions from all its professors, assistant professors, associate professors across the affiliated institutes. The online evaluation software would throw random questions on the screen to be answered in stipulated amount of time. This system again failed at several institutions due to infrastructure issues but the major problem was again cheating and fraud. The issue is quite clear – large educational bodies with centralized governing body cannot use CCE effectively. Effective use of CCE can happen with decentralized model. JNTU understood this and divided colleges between JNTU Hyderabad, JNTU Kakinada and JNTU Ananthapur. The division was purely based on physical proximity of the institute to the governing body. This system still faces the issues that it had initially. It will continue to face them. Take another example. IITs. For evaluating graduate students, IITs dont have a common examination across all the IITs! Even BITS Pilani which has its campuses in Pilani, Dubai, Goa and Hyderabad doesnt use CCE across all four via a common evaluation body. Closed loop within each campus is used. In fact in all these institutes, swift justice in case of any fraud/cheating via committees within the institutes ensures better evaluation, without hindering the process of education. The key phrase – â€Å"checks and balances†. One then wonders why such a tight loop cannot be framed within the schools or a set of schools within close physical proximity! What is happening now? In our current system of school education, we have CBSE at national level and as competing bodies we have State Education Boards. Schools are allowed to choose one of the bodies. The chosen body not just dictates syllabi but also evaluates students in a final examination with a common exam held on a common date at all affiliated schools. So by design CCE is missing. Private schools, so far bridged this gap by having internal evaluation which does not affect scoring at final exam but will only help students to be ready for the final evaluation. Government schools on the other hand, have been busy serving meals at noon to children rather than conducting classes regularly. All government education bodies across India have a common goal – syllabus. Core of the problem lies in this – skill development has never been the area of interest of these bodies. Skill development was and still is the school’s responsibility to compete with other schools. Students who make it top notch institutes across India via JEE, AIEEE, BITSAT etc. , generally have a set of skills in some area or the other. But it has to be understood that they do not make it there due to those skills. They acquire those skills at school, due to their own enthusiasm and sometimes due to the school’s stress on extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. Fortunately or unfortunately, skill development is not due to the governing body. Some exceptions do exist in places like Kerala though! In terms of the system of education, both geography and demography have a huge role to play. Before CCE Implementation†¦. Sibal’s megalomania and grandiose plans lack substance just because of one of his very fundamental assertion – centralization. For a country of the size of India, with such a large population, centralization of education is a disaster to start with. Decentralizing and allowing that little freedom to schools would be a very important step. Such a decentralization process must be addressed before CCE can be implemented. If we are supposed to get anything useful from implementation of CCE, what Governments at class X, +1, +2 level in Government Schools needs to Allow more freedom to schools to collaborate and spool resources – they are already in severe resource crunch. Leaving out examinations completely would be a recipe for disaster. As it is, drop out rates in Class X, +1, +2 across states like AP is too high. Any hasty introduction of CCE without first correcting some fundamental flaws in organizing schools would only bring about faster drop out rates at these levels. CCE is already available in an abstract way in private schools. Several aided and government schools tried to emulate it to see marginal success. But the issue remains. CCE it self will not reduce stress on students. In conclusion, CCE would make sense only with a proper mechanism to address drop-out rates at class X, +1, +2 levels across government schools in India. Acts proposed by Sibal like RTE only make it worse as they attack Private schools which have a decent CCE model already in place. Bottom line – leave private institutions alone. If possible allow them a % share of total evaluation points/score. Don’t scrap examinations, even if you introduce grading. Meanwhile, ensure Government and Aided school improve standards w. r. t infrastructure and faculty. Form conglomerates of schools within a certain radius and allow them to frame, organize and evaluate their students through proper resource spooling.

Essay --

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection provoked by a group of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that reside on the exterior of people’s skin and inside of the nose. This bacterium is typically innocuous; however, it can cause infections in various parts of the body because is resistant to a number of commonly used antibiotics which makes the infection extremely difficult to cure. MRSA has several symptoms including infectious skin, but sometimes it can cause serious infections inside of the body. To diagnose MRSA most commonly a lab test is done to the infected area of the skin, but depending on the patients symptoms a urine, sputum, or blood test can be done. Accordingly, MRSA is treatable with exiguous antibiotics that are still effective, depending on the severity of the infection and its location in the body. Continually, Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that lives in one’s body; nonetheless, it can be problematic if it gets inside of the body because it can cause an infection. MRSA can be spread from one person to another by skin to skin con... Essay -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection provoked by a group of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that reside on the exterior of people’s skin and inside of the nose. This bacterium is typically innocuous; however, it can cause infections in various parts of the body because is resistant to a number of commonly used antibiotics which makes the infection extremely difficult to cure. MRSA has several symptoms including infectious skin, but sometimes it can cause serious infections inside of the body. To diagnose MRSA most commonly a lab test is done to the infected area of the skin, but depending on the patients symptoms a urine, sputum, or blood test can be done. Accordingly, MRSA is treatable with exiguous antibiotics that are still effective, depending on the severity of the infection and its location in the body. Continually, Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that lives in one’s body; nonetheless, it can be problematic if it gets inside of the body because it can cause an infection. MRSA can be spread from one person to another by skin to skin con...

The Present Government Is Planning to Increase Compulsory Education to Age 18. Why Is Such a Measure Necessary? What Are the Reasons for the State to Implement Such a Law?

The present government is planning to increase compulsory education to age 18. Why is such a measure necessary? What are the reasons for the state to implement such a law? The proposed policy of changing compulsory schooling from 16 to 18 clearly shows the governments vision in how to they intend take a stronghold grip on economy and its problems. Governments aims have always been to raise attainment for all children and â€Å"to close the gap between the richest and the poorest† (Lemieux, 2006: ). From the late 1970s to 1991 the disposable income of the top quintile group increased form 26 to 42 percent, whilst the bottom quintile group fell from 10 to 7 percent (www. statistics. gov. uk), and this has increased further in current times. A possible reason for this increased inequality is the shifts in industry from non-skilled workers to skilled workers over the past 20 years, and educational systems failures to meet these changes. Raising education therefore would help create the supply of labour that industries demand, and help increase economic growth and GDP; both vital requirements in order for the country to come out of the recession, which is an integral part in all government policy. With record levels of unemployment, it is without doubt that this proposed policy intends to target and reduce the unemployment rate, especially amongst young individuals, as more education leads to better job opportunities in the future. Increasing education requirements would therefore theoretically solve the problem of increasing pressure by economists to cut costs and solve the ever-growing dependence of many on welfare. It is important to first define the human capital theory as it plays an integral part in the following points. Human capital theory is that the more educated and individual, the greater earning potential for that individual as he/she is more productive due to the skills they have attained. Belfield’s definition of human capital is the most commonly accepted as â€Å"an individuals embodied skills above their raw ability† (Belfield, 2000: 17). Based on this idea, raising the schooling age to 18 would therefore make young students obtain more skills, becoming skilled and more productive leading to greater job prospects and greater earnings potential. In the long run this would lead to increased consumption, less dependence on welfare due to less unemployment, increase GDP and help boost the economy out of recession. The proposed policy is necessary because it directly tackles youth unemployment that is crippling the current economy. With recent figures stating that as of September 2010, 2. 45 million people are unemployed (www. bc. co. uk), it is important the government aims to reduce this to help boost the economy, and improve national morale. By increasing the schooling age, the government hopes to solve the increasing number of young people unemployed. NEET is a government term that shows the number of people not in education, employment, or training. Recent figures show that â€Å"183,000, 9. 2% of young people aged 1 6-18 in England were NEET at end of 2009† (www. publications. parliament. uk). It is an alarming figure as it is one of the worst in the OECD countries, and needs to be tackled. This is because being NEET at a young age is associated with negative outcomes in later life, each having a cost not just for the individual but also for the economy as a whole (www. publications. parliament. uk). By implementing the proposed policy, this figure of 9. 2% of 16-18 year olds being NEET would be eradicated, and improve their chances of finding employment after leaving school. Greater human capital, revised outlook on goals and better decision-making are the result of more education, and as a result, in the long run, unemployment would fall, and there would be less strain on the welfare system. However, such a law is only effective if it helps meet the needs of the labour market. Labour market patterns and trends have played an important role in the decision to implement the proposed policy. Over recent years â€Å"there have been shifts in relative labour demand that have favoured skilled workers† (Machin & Van Reefen). The 1980s saw radical developments in technology and is often referred to as â€Å"the information age†. Computers, advanced machinery, and other technical change â€Å"has had a clear effect of increasing the relative demand for skilled workers† (M & Van R). This intuitively has led to a decrease in demand for non/semi-skilled workers in the labour market. This phenomenon is enhanced by the globalisation of many industries, and the membership of the EU, leading to many industries using alternative cheap labour in other countries; â€Å"increased foreign competition has damaged the position of less skilled workers† (M & Van R). Hough put forward the argument that the education system and its role is often â€Å"far from what the industry requires† (Hough, 1987: 15). Although this was not directly to do with the school leaving age, it is still relevant in this argument because it is clear that now skilled labour is what industry requires, and by increasing the schooling age to 18, the education system would help create more skilled workers through greater human capital accumulation and allocative efficiency, leading them to be more adaptable to work in such skilled professions. Therefore the increasing of the compulsory schooling age could be used to reduce unemployment rates. This is because labour supply of youths would meet the requirements of labour demand, something that hasn’t been the case over past years. This in turn would increase productivity and output, and help boost the economy, which is another important government aim. Therefore the proposed law can be seen as a way of tackling unemployment. Industries have been crippled by the recession, and the economy is growing at a very slow rate. By making young individuals more educated, it is widely accepted that this would lead to increased productivity and greater economic growth. It is based on the assumption of human capital theory: more education leads to increased productivity levels. Therefore by feeding the labour market with more skilled individuals (which is what the market demands), productivity and output within industries would increase. As the policy would increase education levels, wage levels will rise as individuals who pre-policy implementation would enter semi-skilled work, enter more skilled professions, leading to an increase in national income. With more skilled labour entering the labour force, industries will be able to undertake more skilled/capital intensive practices as they now have more able workers to carry out such operations. This leads on from the previous point, as productivity will increase as well as output. In the long run this would lead to increased consumption therefore the economy will grow. By increasing the schooling age to 18, the government are taking a direct approach to stimulate economic growth in the long run and increase output. Since the introduction of new labour in 1997, recent governments have constantly tried to reduce inequality in society; â€Å"to close the gap between the richest and the poorest† (Lemieux, 2006: ). Inequality in wages have risen dramatically in the UK over the past 20 years, with wage growth â€Å"more evident at the upper tail of the distribution† (Slemrod, 1996: 99). The increasing of the schooling age can be seen as another instrument in solving this. It can be linked to the previous point of meeting the demands of the labour market. It is often the case that when a child leaves school at 16, the opportunities for that individual to obtain high earnings are very limited, as they do not have the skills to compete with more educated individuals and therefore are often limited to low paid, non/semi-skilled professions. Hence by increasing compulsory schooling age to 18, individuals who would normally find themselves at the lower tail of the wage distribution would have potential increased earnings due to the more human capital accumulated, and reduce the gap between the two ends of the wage distribution. A counter argument to this is similar to the problem induced by the implementation of the minimum wage in affecting wage distribution with the wages of the those at the top end of the distribution also increasing. As a result inequality would be unaffected. Having said that, the fact that earnings prospects for young individuals would be greatly enhanced by the policy, shows that reducing inequality in the sense of bettering individuals standard of living, shows that this proposed policy would still be very effective in tackling the issue. The government is under great pressure to reduce the welfare state in order to help reduce the huge deficit of the country. The welfare system used to be a safety net for individuals, but unfortunately has now turned into a fishing net with many abusing it. Increasing the compulsory schooling age to 18 could be seen as a way to reduce the potential dependence people could have on welfare. By allowing students to develop their skills and have greater human capital, the prospects of them finding employment are that much greater, therefore reducing the possibility of unemployment and hence claiming off the state. One of the biggest strains on the state is teen pregnancy as it can lead to a vicious cycle of future offspring going through the same direction of life. Teen fertility is â€Å"driven by immediate thinking-efforts† (Oreopoulous) and poor decision making that is the result of little education. Conception rates for England was â€Å"40. 5 per 1000 girls aged 15-17† in 2010 (www. dcsg. gov. uk), which although is down on previous figures, is still regarded as to high by government officials. Oreopoulous states that education leads to better decision-making and eradicates the present orientated preferences of individuals (Oreopoulous, year : ). Increasing the schooling age by two years therefore can only be a positive step in trying to reduce teen fertility, and hence reduce the strain on the welfare state; and as a result can be shown to be another reason why the government are opting for such a policy. Finally, one must discuss the alternative approaches that the government could have taken instead of increasing the school leaving age. ALMPs are a government tool used to â€Å"raise output and welfare and reallocate labour between sub-markets† (Boeri & Ours, 2008: 261)). However, it is viable to say those ALMPs such as training and activation programmes will be used in conjunction with the new law; therefore strengthening the possible success of the proposed law further in tackling the problems of the labour market. After analyzing and evaluating the proposed law of raising the school leaving age, I have come to conclude that the government have felt that such a measure would: tackle youth unemployment, help create the supply that labour markets demand, increase production and output leading to economic growth, reduce wage and social inequalities, and reduce the dependence many might have on welfare. All these points help build towards the bigger picture the government has: to get the country on the right path to get out of the recession. It is a law that will reap rewards in the long run and will make inroads into changing the â€Å"careless and unambitious culture† of today’s youth. The law will be more beneficial to the country if it is worked in conjunction with alternative labour market policies such as training, and activation policies that will help those who leave school at 18 unemployed. It can be seen in broader aspects boosting the countrys moral and self belief and help Britains labour market and industry compete greater internationally. In my opinion is it is a necessary measure, and such a law will go a long way in helping stabalise and boost the economy. Bibliography Belfield, Clive R. Economic Principles of Education. Cheltenham: Edward Publishing Limited, 2000 Hough, J. R, Education And The National Economy. USA: Croom Helm, 1987 Lemeiux Machin and Van Reefen Slemrod, Joel. Tax Progressivity and Income Inequality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Oreopoulous Boeri, Tito and Ours, Van Jan. The Economics of Imperfect Labour Markets. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2008. Other sources www. statistics. gov. uk www. bbc. co. uk www. publcations. parilament. uk www. dcsg. gov. uk

The Real Cause of the French Revolution Essay - 1710 Words

The Real Cause of the French Revolution For hundreds of years historians have tried to find out the real cause of the French Revolution, and they have come up with hundreds of varieties different reasons as well. Spread over the ten-year period from 1789-1799, the French Revolution was initiated by disagreements over the peoples ideas of reform. Seeking equality, liberty and wanting their voice to be heard, the Third Estate played a major role in determining the future of France in ten years time. Linked with elaborate disputes among the people, hatred toward their beautiful and ignorant queen,†¦show more content†¦Some of the clergies were nobles as well. This estate was the minority of the whole French society, consisting only one or two percent of the whole population. The Second Estate was the nobility, consisting around four hundred thousand people, most fro m the minor rank. The Third Estate consisted of the remainder of the French population, varying from the city-workers, peasants, wage earners and the middle class. During the eighteenth century, an concerning the Third Estate was the large population, which the majority composed of them. Initially, France only had around twenty million people living within its borders. Nonetheless, over the century that number increased by eight to ten million, as epidemic diseases and acute food shortages diminished and mortality declined.[2] Most of the increased number of people was the peasantry. The large number of people limited the work fields and not enough land was provided for all peasants, and therefore resulted in extreme poverty. During that period of time, the Third Estate in France also lived very poorly. Their ways of living were considerably filthy and disgusting. As taken from Arthur Youngs Travels in France: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦their town of Combourg one of the most brutal, filthy places that can be seen; mud houses, no windows, and a pavement so broken as to impede all passengers, but ease none.[3] This passage describedShow MoreRelatedDifferences Between the French and American Revolutions1362 Words   |  6 Pagesthe American and French Revolutions Sometimes a revolution can take place within a country against its own current state of government, other times a revolution can take place externally to rid a country of another countrys influence. There are many components that are involved in a revolution taking place. One must consider the causes or reasons of the situation, the events that occur during the revolution and the effects or aftermath that had been created by that revolution. There were majorRead MoreThe Debate On The French Revolution Essay1404 Words   |  6 PagesThe Debate on the French Revolution For the French Revolution, the historians are mainly entangled in the debate between two different interpretations. The Marxists recognize the French Revolution as the conflict between the old order (feudal system) and the modern society. On the other hand, the revisionists consider the French Revolution as essentially a political revolution, instead of a bourgeois revolution. From my perspective, the French Revolution is a combined consequence of both economicRead MoreThe Causes Of The American And French Revolution742 Words   |  3 PagesAmerican and French Revolution were times when the people were tired o f being pushed around and rebelled against their own government to try to make it better for the people. The American revolution came before the French Revolution happened. The French Revolution was based on the American revolution. The leader of the American revolution were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin franklin, and John Adams. The leader of the French Revolu tion were napoleon Bonaparte. One cause of the AmericanRead MoreThe American Revolution Set up Equality and Power for America621 Words   |  3 PagesChristopher Hitchens claims that â€Å"†¦ the American Revolution is the only revolution that still resonates†and this claim is valid because the American Revolution led to democratic ideals and governments being spread across the world, it set the precedent of equality in our country, and it set it up to be the world power it is today. America’s Revolution gave birth to real applications of Enlightenment ideals, and in doing so spurred movements of independence and democracy around the world duringRead MoreThe French Revolution And The American Revolution1395 Words   |  6 PagesHonors English 29 September 2014 The French Revolution Some do not know what the real cause of the French Revolution was. There are many considerable factors, yet none of them have been pinned down as the true reason (SparkNote Editors). The French Revolution started as a rebellion for equality, but eventually turned out to be more and show the problems throughout the French government. As said before, there is no exact reasoning behind the French Revolution. but there are many possible factorsRead MoreThe French Revolution Of The Middle Ages Era Essay1578 Words   |  7 PagesThe French Kingdom in Middle Ages era was ruled by the arbitrary monarch. Besides the king, clergy, which is the officials of the church and nobility, which is the group of aristocrats has supreme power than the society. In the way it ran, there were many problems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It popular with the slogan â€Å"liberty, legality and fraternity† that brings French to beRead MoreDifference Between French Revolution And American Revolution1217 Words   |  5 PagesDifference between French Revolution and American Revolution Western Europe and the Colonies in the New World experienced major wars during the 18 century: the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the French Revolution (1789-1799), Both were inspired by the philosophy of the Enlightenment; both were the results of oppression the people had to suffer [at] the hands of their rulers. ..and [both] succeeded in toppling the monarchy Difference). Even though these two revolutions were similar in timeRead MoreThe Effects of Financial Problems on the French Revolution Essay910 Words   |  4 Pagesof Financial Problems on the French Revolution The French Revolution, which broke out in 1787, was perhaps the most violent upheaval in the western world due to the extensive participation of peasants and common people, not only the aristocracy. Even thought in other parts of Europe revolutionist movements were taking place, they were usually between aristocratic rulers and other privileged groups. Regarding the causes of the French Revolution, several versions are proposedRead MoreThe Causes Of Joseph De Maistre And The French Revolution1696 Words   |  7 Pagesmere eight years after the Revolution. In order to understand what causes he believed caused the French Revolution, his conception of a Counter-Revolution and what would be necessary to undo the ideas of 1789, which is what this paper aims to discuss, it is important to know a brief background on de Maistre and what he stood for. de Maistre was an advocate of divine right monarchy as well as a defendant of Catholicism in the period of time directly after the French Revolution. He is known as a prominentRead MoreCauses of the French Revolution Essay1464 Words   |  6 PagesCauses of the French Revolution The French Revolution happened in France around the period 1789-92 (although these dates are disputed by historians), and resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy and the Ancien Rà ©gime (the system of government). The monarchy in France had been established for many centuries, and the causes of the Revolution were deeply-rooted, including the problems with the Ancien Rà ©gime, the growth of nationalism, the influence of philosophers, and the example of