Aptitude tests a failure owing to lack of phones

Mumbai: Kalchachni or aptitude test, an exam to be taken on smart phones, has proved a failure, as schools do not have enough mobile phones to conduct the tests. This exam, introduced two years ago to let students identify their interests and preferences, was conducted manually until last year.

The state education department has now made it mandatory to conduct the exam on mobile phones that will be brought to school by the students themselves. Schools have time till January 20 to conduct the exam for all School Secondary Certificate (SSC) students.

“Technically, mobile phones are banned in school premises but after the circular, we reinstated the rule and asked our students to bring mobile phones with their parents’ permission to take the exam in school. However, not every student is financially sound to have a smart phone at his/her home. We can't conduct the exam until each and every student has a phone,” Rajesh Pandya, a teacher, told this newspaper.

Till now, 1.9 lakh students have taken the aptitude exam in Mumbai while a large number of students are still remaining.

“It would have been better if the department allowed us to conduct the exam on computer because every school has computer labs and internet facilities so it could have been a lot better and easier for both students and teachers. We are continuously asking the parents to get the mobile for a day so we can finish the exam before the deadline,” said another teacher.

The education department has initiated the exam on smart phones as a pilot project for this year. Earlier, exams were manually conducted; teachers checked papers and then marks were entered.

However, teachers complained that these things took a lot of time and hence, the decision to take it online was made. Now, once the exam is conducted, the result will be declared in a short period.