Casting away the NET The NET seems to be on its way out. But academics have their reservations about this development. It is now official. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared that the National Eligibility Test (NET) it conducts for identifying potential teachers in colleges and universities will no longer be an eligibility criterion for those with an M.Phil. and/or a doctoral degree. On May 16, the Commission chairman announced that the interim report of the Balchandra Mungekar Committee, which was set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in November 2005 to suggest ways to revamp the NET and to find out whether the NET was needed at all as an eligibility criterion to teach in institutions of higher learning, has been accepted in principle. Report recommendation The interim report recommends that those with an M.Phil. may be exempted from having to clear the NET for teaching in undergraduate courses and that those with a Ph.D. need not have a NET for teaching postgraduate courses. This announcement has caused dismay among many academicians in Kerala. Many teachers who spoke to The Hindu-Educationplus said they saw this announcement as the beginning of the end of the NET. While these academics are firm in their view that the NET as it exists today is pretty much useless, they are also equally firm in the belief that a national-level test of some sort in unavoidable if quality teachers are to be appointed in the nation's universities and colleges. Dissenting voices "This is wrong step," says K. Sasikumar, professor, Department of Commerce, University of Kerala. "It will open the floodgates of mediocrity as far as selecting good teachers is concerned. Now, in this university anyone with 55 per cent marks for the postgraduate examination can sign up for M.Phil. and everyone who registers for Ph.D. gets a doctoral degree. There is no such thing as turning down a thesis. There is no evaluation by a foreign expert." "Now, after this announcement, there is going to be a huge rush for M.Phil. courses," points out R. Mohankumar, general secretary of the All Kerala Private College Teachers' Association. He says the UGC has always been inconsistent in taking a stand, vis-à-vis exemptions from the NET. "In 1993, 1998, 2000 and in 2002, the UGC's position regarding who can be exempted from the NET kept on shifting. Is there a hidden agenda in this? There must be. Otherwise why these constant changes? If for some subjects, due to shortage of NET-qualified hands, some exemption needs to be given, fine. But a blanket exemption for all M.Phil. holders and Ph.D. holders? No that cannot be accepted. That is bad news for quality teaching," he says. Mr. Mohankumar adds that he is with those who argue that this move of the UGC is aimed at regularising the services of hundreds, if not thousands, of part-time/contract lecturers in colleges across the country who have not cleared the NET but have M.Phil. and are seeking to get a Ph.D. Flawed decision There are also those who feel that the Mungekar committee could have better employed its time and energy by trying to reform and broad-base the NET. Head of the Department of Law University of Kerala N. K. Jayakumar is among those who firmly believe that the very concept of linking M.Phil. and Ph.D. to the career of a teacher is flawed. "A good teacher need not be a good researcher and a good researcher need not know how to teach. We see that happening all the time. Sure you should have a test to see gauge the teaching skills of a person. The method adopted by the National Law School Bangalore is very good in this respect. Now, with this announcement by the UGC, there is going to be a spurt in the number of M.Phils. being offered by colleges. In no time there will also be M.Phil. in the distance education mode. Then all those people are going to try and become teachers. What will happen to these people if in the future the NET - in another form - becomes compulsory," Dr. Jayakumar asks. Broad-basing NET Former Vice-Chairman of the UGC V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai too says the need of the hour is to try and revamp the NET instead of seeking to do away with it. As a teacher he says he is strongly in favour of having a nation-wide eligibility test in some form. " The NET can be broad-based so as to assess teaching capability and aptitude," he told The Hindu-Education plus over phone from Kottayam.Right from the time the Mungekar Committee was set up, Dr. Pillai had argued that the best way ahead would be to have a NET that allows for trans-disciplinary eligibility; so that a candidate who clear the NET for English can also teach such subjects as communicative English, linguistics or journalism. Many in the academic community say they would not be surprised if the Mungekar Committee in its final report recommends that the NET be done away with. "All these things should be done after a nation-wide debate among academics and by a five-member committee," points out Mr. Mohankumar, "such decisions can affect the lives and future of thousands of students." G. MAHADEVAN Source: The Hindu, Education plus , kerala. --------------------------------- Yahoo! India Answers Share what your know-how and wisdom Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from your Yahoo! Messenger Download now Casting away the NET The NET seems to be on its way out. But academics have their reservations about this development. It is now official. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared that the National Eligibility Test (NET) it conducts for identifying potential teachers in colleges and universities will no longer be an eligibility criterion for those with an M.Phil. and/or a doctoral degree. On May 16, the Commission chairman announced that the interim report of the Balchandra Mungekar Committee, which was set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in November 2005 to suggest ways to revamp the NET and to find out whether the NET was needed at all as an eligibility criterion to teach in institutions of higher learning, has been accepted in principle. Report recommendation The interim report recommends that those with an M.Phil. may be exempted from having to clear the NET for teaching in undergraduate courses and that those with a Ph.D. need not have a NET for teaching postgraduate courses. This announcement has caused dismay among many academicians in Kerala. Many teachers who spoke to The Hindu-Educationplus said they saw this announcement as the beginning of the end of the NET. While these academics are firm in their view that the NET as it exists today is pretty much useless, they are also equally firm in the belief that a national-level test of some sort in unavoidable if quality teachers are to be appointed in the nation's universities and colleges. Dissenting voices "This is wrong step," says K. Sasikumar, professor, Department of Commerce, University of Kerala . "It will open the floodgates of mediocrity as far as selecting good teachers is concerned. Now, in this university anyone with 55 per cent marks for the postgraduate examination can sign up for M.Phil. and everyone who registers for Ph.D. gets a doctoral degree. There is no such thing as turning down a thesis. There is no evaluation by a foreign expert." "Now, after this announcement, there is going to be a huge rush for M.Phil. courses," points out R. Mohankumar, general secretary of the All Kerala Private College Teachers' Association. He says the UGC has always been inconsistent in taking a stand, vis-à-vis exemptions from the NET. "In 1993, 1998, 2000 and in 2002, the UGC's position regarding who can be exempted from the NET kept on shifting. Is there a hidden agenda in this? There must be. Otherwise why these constant changes? If for some subjects, due to shortage of NET-qualified hands, some exemption needs to be given, fine. But a blanket exemption for all M.Phil. holders and Ph.D. holders? No that cannot be accepted. That is bad news for quality teaching," he says. Mr. Mohankumar adds that he is with those who argue that this move of the UGC is aimed at regularising the services of hundreds, if not thousands, of part-time/contract lecturers in colleges across the country who have not cleared the NET but have M.Phil. and are seeking to get a Ph.D. Flawed decision There are also those who feel that the Mungekar committee could have better employed its time and energy by trying to reform and broad-base the NET. Head of the Department of Law University of Kerala N. K. Jayakumar is among those who firmly believe that the very concept of linking M.Phil. and Ph.D. to the career of a teacher is flawed. "A good teacher need not be a good researcher and a good researcher need not know how to teach. We see that happening all the time. Sure you should have a test to see gauge the teaching skills of a person. The method adopted by the National Law School Bangalore is very good in this respect. Now, with this announcement by the UGC, there is going to be a spurt in the number of M.Phils. being offered by colleges. In no time there will also be M.Phil. in the distance education mode. Then all those people are going to try and become teachers. What will happen to these people if in the future the NET - in another form - becomes compulsory," Dr. Jayakumar asks. Broad-basing NET Former Vice-Chairman of the UGC V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai too says the need of the hour is to try and revamp the NET instead of seeking to do away with it. As a teacher he says he is strongly in favour of having a nation-wide eligibility test in some form. " The NET can be broad-based so as to assess teaching capability and aptitude," he told The Hindu-Education plus over phone from Kottayam. Right from the time the Mungekar Committee was set up, Dr. Pillai had argued that the best way ahead would be to have a NET that allows for trans-disciplinary eligibility; so that a candidate who clear the NET for English can also teach such subjects as communicative English, linguistics or journalism. Many in the academic community say they would not be surprised if the Mungekar Committee in its final report recommends that the NET be done away with. "All these things should be done after a nation-wide debate among academics and by a five-member committee," points out Mr. Mohankumar, "such decisions can affect the lives and future of thousands of students." G. MAHADEVAN Source: The Hindu, Education plus , kerala. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/in/mailanswersshare/*http://in.answers.yahoo.com... Yahoo! India Answers Share what your know-how and wisdom Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from your Yahoo! 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