For China's 31st annual National College Entrance Exam, which takes place on the first Thursday and Friday of June, at least 10 million Chinese high-school students have registered to sit the gaokao, as it is colloquially known. They are competing for an estimated 5.7 million university spots. Kao means test, and gao, which means high, indicates the test's perceived level of difficulty—and its ability to intimidate. It is China's SAT—if the SAT lasted two days, covered everything learned since kindergarten, and had the power to determine one's entire professional trajectory. [link]Do read the whole article, it is enlightening, especially the part about regional adjustments. This is highly relevant for us, as we will explain in a later post.
As always, the results of various tests in the country have blown to smithereens the commonly peddled assumptions behind our quota regime. A few random highlights:
- OBC Candidates dominate Lucknow Pre-med and Engineering tests, and by that we mean really dominate. Vishvendra Kumar (SEE Topper), son of a farmer, said: "Arakshan tou ji band hona chahiye (reservation should be scrapped)."
- Village milk seller's son passes the IAS. his study partner, a railway booking clerk's son, also made it. How much these folks make, any ideas? Above the creamy layer barrier of Rs. 2.5 lkh per annum?
- Brother-sister duo, a fruit vendors grandkids, make it in the civil services.
- Children of semi-literate parents and tribals - civil services.
- Waiter becomes IAS Officer.
- Daughter of a Paan seller and proud resident of a mud house clears UPSC examination.
- Kids from rural and backward areas have done well in this year's Bangalore CET.
- Vegetable vendor's daughter is Gujarat XII state topper.
- Partially blind makes it to three IIMs.
- Children of laborers, shop keepers from backward communities make it to IITs. This is a Super 30 related news, they had a perfect score this year. These kids would make it without quotas.
Now for the egg in the chicken story.
There was a great debate in the MSM and blogosphere about whether the Government should create a large number of IITs. We stayed away from this debate because the basic premise is silly. The Government should not be in this business. Most of the debate was centered around whether this would result in a dilution of quality etc. This is the fundamental problem of central planning, there is no way in hell you can get price guidance from the market. You just don't know when and how much to scale up.
In any case, apparently a few new IITs are coming up and they will start their session from this year. But get this, most of these will be housed in existing IITs! Can you believe this shit? Exactly what purpose does it serve other than to make a bullet point in UPA's election manifesto? This is the sort of tokenism that has led us to where we are today.
Needless to say, intellectuals cheered this move.
7 comments:
Barbar,
How come Poverty Porn Pooritst Sainath never writes about these things. The guy must be swilling Scotch on his way to the next 5-Star "Ooooh! They are so poor," meeting. Someone's got to the hard work you see.
Kaangeya
The author of this Slate article on GaoKao is as usual making a mistake in stating that these tests favour rote learning, a charge often levelled at our JEEs as well. Apart from the fact that China invented the idea of selection exams >2000 years ago, these tests are a test of application and are extremely tough for that. Rote learning will not get you thru the JEE or the GaoKao. Even the Indian Civil Services Selection process - the world's toughest test of all round learning and social abilities - rtequires a very high level of application. This is why Indian and Chinese students sail through the College Board entrance tests even if they don't do all that well writing those fluffy college app essays.
kaangeya
Kaangeya,
Both India and China suffer from too few economic opportunities and hence are forced to administer absurdly tough tests. From an outside point of view, the grueling prep work does seem like rote learning. Another problem is the low TFP of these two countries. In general Indian students appear to be skill fixated and not equipped with macro level thinking.
Having said that, there is a case for continuing a strictly exam based entrance system. This is one area where India offers a much better level playing field. You are right, the US college admissions are becoming a joke, what with paid essay writers, social work on your resume etc. where the rich has an undeniable advantage.
Reading about the Chinese system was interesting. Thanks, Barb.
The face of things to come, all done in the name of social justice of course:
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/iitdelhi-sacks-12-scst-students-under-probe/67114-3.html
As correctly predicted by many, including RealityCheck and Barbarindian, the so-called creamy layer exclusion by the Supreme Court is being rendered all but pointless. The following article states that the income limit may be raised by the NCBC to more than 6 lakhs/annum. Also, real estate holdings, including agricultural land, are going to be exempted from the income limit. This should now pretty much include all so-called OBCs, except for a very tiny fraction. Tamil Nadu style reservations coming to the national level.
Next stop, reservations in the private sector. 100 years hence, breakup of India into many smaller states after Gujjar style agitations spread to more and more caste groups.
Barb, can you please write more about this on the main page to get people's attention? Youth For Equality must also be notified of this backdoor (backward is to backdoor as forward is to front-door?) way of bypassing the Supreme Court order on the Creamy Layer exclusion.
Observer.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Creamy_layer_Revised_ceiling_soon/articleshow/3130643.cms
Observer,
It was only a matter of time. Perhaps between 70 - 80% people in the country can come under the quota umbrella. There is no way anyone can fix it.
Will write a post about the new quota paradigm.
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