National testing agency, more autonomy to place institutes at par globally

Tutorial firms and higher education institutes say the union budget's announcement of an independent national testing agency could bring in more professionalism as well as help avoid legal hassles for institutes conducting entrance tests.

Moreover, while institutes await further clarity on the functioning of the agency, experts and institutes agree the move would standardise testing process throughout the country and help students prepare well.

A director of one of the older Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) said: "It is a good step. There are few court cases against premier institutes while conducting such exams. We will now be able to get rid of that. The agency will have to be reliable and at par with some of the best in the western markets."

On the other hand, according to Aakash Chaudhry, director, Aakash Educational Services,  the move could bring in greater professionalism in conducting higher education entrance examinations.

Entrance test training institutes like Triumphant Institute of Education Management (T.I.M.E.) are of the view that an agency would also reduce clashes of certain important entrance tests. "The move will not only standardise conducting of entrance tests but also help students plan and prepare well. While we need to get more clarity on its functioning, it will probably be contrary to the current scenario where several tests pull students in different directions," said Manek Daruvala, founder of T.I.M.E.
Analysts and B-schools equally welcomed the move by the government to provide greater autonomy to institutes, stating the same would improve efficiency of the institutes and filter out the inefficient ones.

"Autonomy to institutes based on track record and performance is the right path. Reversing the past practice of regulating institutions across the spectrum of standing with the same yardstick will likely lead to innovation and enhanced standards- this will arise from autonomy," said Dr. Vasant Sivaraman, Chairperson - PGDM Programme at SPJIMR.

Meanwhile, according to Rohin Kapoor, director, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, the budget proposal of offering greater autonomy to institutes would also result in facilitation of Indian institutes' entry into the global Ivy League.

"Greater autonomy in higher education will address long-standing demands of the industry and hopefully facilitate our entry into global Ivy League. The announcement of a national testing agency to remove operational burden of regulators is also a welcome step. Removing ambiguity around foreign investment, demand for increasing public sector investment & incentivising private participation in the sector have not been adequately addressed," said Kapoor.