Jadavpur: The mathematics department of Jadavpur University had proposed an entrance test for its BSc programme this year by citing a general decline in the quality of students coming in on the strength of board examination performance, according to a professor.
The proposal died a quick death, but not before it had drilled a hole in the university's argument that the science stream had consistently shown how admission on the basis of marks scored in the board examinations was the right model.
Classroom experiences and performance statistics from the past few years illustrate the quality challenge faced by the mathematics department of Jadavpur University, the professor said.
"We admit high scorers in board examinations, only to realise during our interactions in the classroom that many of them have not had a proper foundation and so aren't able to cope with the course. This is the reason why we had proposed this year to pick students on the basis of an entrance test."
The department had also recommended an integrated BSC and MSc course in mathematics to attract the cream of the crop. The proposal was to have a model with 40 per cent weightage to the entrance test and the remainder to board examination scores.
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College in Narendrapur holds entrance tests for all its BSc programmes. In math, only students with a Class XII aggregate of 70 per cent and a minimum of 75 per cent in the subject get to take the entrance test.
The provisional merit list is drawn up by factoring in entrance test performance and mathematics, physics and English scores in the Class XII examination.
At Presidency University, students are chosen for the BSc mathematics course solely on the basis of an entrance test.
An associate professor of mathematics at Jadavpur University mentioned a change in the examination system, among other reasons, for students scoring high marks at the Class XII level despite not having a firm base in a subject.
Almost every board has switched to the format of multiple-choice and short-answer questions in the science papers. In 2015, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education brought changes to maintain a semblance of uniformity with the central boards. Multiple-choice questions now comprise 10 to 14 per cent and short-answer questions between 21 and 27 per cent of every science paper.
"These changes have had a bearing on the quality of the students we are getting at the undergraduate level. Marks scored by taking advantage of the format do not allow us to distinguish between good and lesser students. An entrance test for BSc mathematics would have solved this problem," a teacher said.
Another argument for an entrance test is that it provides a level playing field. "A student can underperform in the Class XII mathematics paper for various reasons, including a sudden bout of illness. Such students get a second chance if an entrance test is held."
On why the proposal from the mathematics department had been shot down, acting registrar Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya said: "It was just a proposal. The admissions committee never forwarded it to the executive council, whose endorsement is required for an entrance test to be introduced."
He refused to be drawn into discussing the oft-cited but disproved notion that Class XII board examination scores are enough to determine if a student is eligible to study a particular subject at the undergraduate level. "There is no point in discussing the merits of a proposal that was not tabled before the executive council,"Bhattacharya said.
A student agitation and a teacher revolt had forced Jadavpur University to restore entrance tests for six BA courses within days of deciding to toe the government's line and admit students on the basis of Class XII scores.
