Lecturer test going in for makeover

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 31

State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) conducted to appoint lecturers in government-aided colleges is going in for a makeover. The reason, only 2.98 per cent students have cleared SLET and a worried West Bengal College Service Commission (WBCSC), which conducts the exam, has decided to ring in the changes.
This year 8000 sat for the SLET in August. The results published on October 29 make grim reading as only 265 have cleared the exam. Alarmed, the chairman of WBCSC Himangshu Ghosh has informed higher education minister Sudarsan Roychoudhuri about the sharp drop. The commission has also urged a probe by the West Bengal State Council of Higher Education.
In commerce and chemical science only 8 and 7 students respectively have cleared the exam. In life science only 6 students have passed and in economics only two students have crossed the hurdle. The worst affected are earth and mathematical sciences where the pass percentage is zero.
“If the students fails to pass the SLET then it means that colleges will not get lecturers. I have urged the higher education council to call a vice-chancellors meeting at the earliest,” said Ghosh.
“Any exam system has the scope for upgradation but the meeting is also important. Then everyone will understand whether the syllabus or the students is the problem,” said Roychoudhuri.
But Ghosh seems to have pinpointed the problem. The main problem according to Ghosh is that some subjects cover a wide area. For example mathematical sciences also include statistics and computer science. Life science covers subjects like botany, physiology, zoology and microbiology. “A student taking SLET is expected to be an all-rounder and the person may not have the same competency level in all subjects. This could be the reason for not fairing well,” said Ghosh.
While SLET offers only 21 subjects, National Level Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by UGC offers 92 subjects. From 2008 SLET too will offer more subjects like microbiology, physiology, electronics and biochemistry. “We have already spoken to the UGC and would be breaking down several subjects which are in a combination mode. More students hopefully will clear the exams,” said Ghosh. SLET 2008 is scheduled for March.
Though the commission will be offering more subjects from next year, Ghosh feels that students should do away with suggestions. “Most of the students these days do not have an in depth knowledge. This is because they do not do any library work and heavily depend of their private tutor and do suggestive study. Unless this is changed we will not get lecturers for our colleges,” Ghosh said.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com