Date:09/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/09/stories/2007090954010400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Music results are a mess; board admits to receiving complaints

Bageshree S.

Bangalore: Sunil (name changed) appeared for his Senior Carnatic music examination conducted by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board in May this year. He was shocked when the results were announced because he had failed the examination for a strange reason. He had been marked “absent” for one of the two practical papers he had attended. This was simply impossible because practical examinations are held in a single session in the music examination, but split into two papers as per the demands of the syllabus.

Disasters of this kind are not an aberration in the music examination results announced in mid-August. Carnatic vocalist M.G. Venkataraghavan, Sunil’s teacher, says that at least three more students of his school, Nadahamsa Academy of Music, have ended up failing in the examination for similar reasons.

Many other teachers and students have approached the board with complaints of this kind.

Some results have not been announced without citing any reasons, they say.

Students allege that the conduct of music examinations is characterised by indifference year after year. “It has only been getting worse,” says Mr. Venkataraghavan.

Some of his students say there are only two examiners as against the stipulated three.

Mr. Venkataraghavan says that his students were spoken to rudely when they approached the Board with complaints.

Board officials admit that there have been goof-ups. “We have received 100 complaints,” said one official on condition of anonymity. Most errors have occurred because of incorrect entries made by the examiners, according to him. The board is acting on the complaints and will announce the corrected results within the next few days, he says. The students, however, say the number of complaints is more than 100.

The music examiners, on the other hand, have their own grievances. They say the remuneration set by the board (Rs. 100 a day for Junior, Rs. 150 for Senior and Rs. 200 for Vidwat) is outdated. One examiner says the board intimates them about the examination at a short notice. “They must give at least two weeks’ notice to examiners,” she says.

The Board has a separate set up to conduct examinations in subjects such as music, veda, Sanskrit and arabic. About 10,000 students have appeared for music examinations this year.