On College

I am writing about my Indian college. I will reveal many truths about the Indian education system by narrating my experience in college. It is in a little town. It is more than a hundred year old arts college. Subjects like Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Geography, English, Sanskrit, History, Hindi, and Home Science are taught here.

Admission's Process

Anyone who passes the twelfth standard exam (trials don't matter) with whatever marks can get admission. Sometimes the twelfth exam result is very high, but if the result of the student is not good, he has to use his or her influence for getting admission in his or her chosen subject. In the English course, everyone can get admission because seats are always empty. The main reason is that students' English is very weak, because of a weak base in high school. Another reason is students are frightened of English.

Fee structure

This is a Government College, therefore fees are less. Per term, where one year comprises two terms, male students pay about 750 rupees. Fifty rupees approximately equal one USD. Female education is much needed in India; this is why they get unbelievable concessions. Education quality

This is the trait where the college lacks. Visiting lecturers are not qualified at all. If we talk about an English subject then the truth is unbearable. Lecturers don't know the correct pronunciation of words. They study through native language in the class. Their way of speaking is like...I can't find a proper simile. Their knowledge of English literature is very shallow. Their percentages in examination are less than sixty. So we can understand their level.

Here mediocre students get into the first class, greater than sixty percent, easily. So what is the level of other students who don't get it? Our sir one day remarked, "A donkey can be a lecturer in this college."

They only translate the novel or drama in native language. Sometimes I feel that I am not graduating in English but rather my native language. They hardly come prepared. All lecturers are not professional. Professors talk through entire lecture periods in the staff room. Sometimes they are so engrossed in the newspaper or conversation they forget we're waiting for them.

They are geniuses in making pretext so they may answer, "Important meeting is going on so today I can't lecture."

Particularity of student

Anyone can come to the college any time. Though it is a regular graduate course, students finish it like a correspondence course. They come only for paying term and exam fees. Many students work jobs and they don't take college study seriously.

The college authority also never cares about it. I remember one time when NAAAC(The National Assessment and Accreditation Council) officials came to assess our college. That time real drama happened and students were forced to be present in the college lectures. But after this, it has never happened. If a student doesn't attend classes, the college authority never prevents them from appearing for exams. One famous sentence among students, who regularly attend, is, "They come to watch girls, not for study."

Examination and Evaluation

Many students write anything they like and pass the exam easily. One maxim for passing an examination is, "Fill more pages and get more marks". And whoever follows this path really see success. Even if one gets an ATKT - allowed to keep term - he or she solves it easily.

There are no objectives. Each question contains twenty marks and students have to fill four to five pages. It is not possible for a paper checker to read whole answers and so the university's well known unofficial rule is, if a student writes four to five pages, the paper checker must give a minimum of eight marks. So from five questions, a student will get a minimum of forty marks, where the minimum passing mark is thirty five.

This rumour is well known to students, so they write anything in papers and get a BA degree without any hard work or soft work. After completing a bachelor in arts degree they can't speak or write correct English. Some cannot even write one complete sentence. In spite of this they get jobs as high school or primary teachers.

A month before the examination many students, but not all, wake up and start to read a litha, which is a cheap book of important questions and answers. Students are not required to purchase the originally prescribed text book. Some lithas offer a guarantee that if you read them you will get a minimum of sixty percent, which has never happened. This is the idea of publishers who desperately want to sell them, and gullible students are easily trapped by these cheaters. They copied answers completely from other books, breaking all copyright rules. Though they note in the litha that it is copyrighted material that cannot be reproduced!

Copying is the best way to pass the exam for the students. They hide chits and torn pages of important answers in their apparel, near private parts, and inside underwear, because supervisors never check there. They use their mind nicely to cheat them. They also write important points on their hands.

If they prevent cheatings, many times supervisors become a victim of hard hitting on their body. You can't believe but it's true that some rogues threaten them and also hit them, sometime on the campus of college!!! Serious actions aren't taken by the college authority. In India, you see the kings in every lane. They rule their area, so why should college be an exception?

I want to advise those students who are thinking of obtaining bogus certificates. You should get admission into this type of college and do it without wasting extra money, which would be needed to get a bogus certificate. It is so easy and inexpensive. In addition, if you have the influence of known head, you get more than sixty percents. Really for them, it is a child's play.

Student Behaviour

I have told you earlier that students come to watch girls. Another surprising thing is, mobile phones are strictly prohibited on the college premises, but India is well known for its dry implementation of laws. Students use mobile phones like they are in their own homes or gardens. Even between lectures they can answer and talk. They watch adult video clips and video music at full volume in college. I know a group of terrorists who are used to sit near the library listening to music and talking loudly with violent language. We got the chance to hear their songs and conversations while trying to read in the library.

The whole time rogues sit in the parking area and often they comment using obscene words about girls and female lecturers who come there for parking of their vehicles. At any time they think they have the right to insult or speak offensive words to security and clerks. None have prevented them or taken serious actions against them. Some have already finished their study, but still come college to spoil the college environment. There is the existence of identity cards but it is not for heavy heads. They wander onto the college campus easily.

This is the true reality of one Indian college. These things may happen at other colleges, or possibly even worse than these. But I can't claim that every college I have above mentioned qualifies.

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I'm thankful to AsylumSeeker for editing.