Date:08/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/08/stories/2006020819390400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

IIT director decries poor exam system

Staff Reporter

Says only coaching institutes thriving "Moulding the character is not just the responsibility of teachers, but also of society and students themselves."

TAMBARAM: The Director of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, M.S. Ananth, on Monday regretted that the examination system for students was very poor, resulting in the thriving of private coaching institutes.

Stating that these institutes functioned on the principle of "ends justify the means," the IIT Director said they helped the students merely to get a certificate.

Delivering the convocation address at the Shrimathi Devkunvar Nanalal Bhatt Vaishnav College for Women at Chromepet, he said history had shown that Indians were not adept in documentation and there was a need to correct mistakes.

Knowledge, know-how and character were the three components of education. Moulding the character was not just the responsibility of teachers, but also of society and the students themselves.

Nalanda university

Recalling that the ancient university of Nalanda had as many as 10,000 students, the IIT Director said it was the first experiment in mass education. "Even then group discussions were in vogue and every student was admitted only after an oral interview."

In the context of web-enabled education and virtual university coming to India, the education system had come a long way from the `gurukulam' mode of education.

Under such circumstances, the role of modesty and faith were fast disappearing in the education scenario, he said, adding that Indian culture was based on knowledge and wealth.

S.N. Bhatt and M.D. Tolia, chairman and secretary of the college, spoke.

T. Sumithra, principal, read out the achievements of passing-out students. Among the 800 graduate and postgraduate students who received degrees, 45 secured university ranks. N. Subhashree, R. Devi and D. Jayashree, secured the gold medal for securing first place in Madras University, she said.