The top 15% rule and some facts of UGC NET December 2012

by **vivaradoshi** Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:24 pm

UGC has announced a top 15% rule for NET and JRF Exam conducted in December 2012.National Eligibility Test (NET) as its name indicates is purely an 'eligibility' test and putting a criteria at later part or rationing the candidates are not logical, legal or justifiable. Yet some academicians including the already qualified candidates favours UGC Decision of taking only top 15%. Their arguments are as follows

1] The quality in education will be low when minimum acquired candidates are declared as cleared NET. So to ensure quality, the candidates with high marks only should be allowed to clear NET

2] When minimum criteria is followed the number of qualified persons will be more and this effect the
future of our country

3]Top 15% rule allows only highly talented candidates to emerge as teachers and a competitive nvironment for NET exam which in turn increases the quality of faculty

4] NET is meant for teaching especially at higher education level. At the present situation itself there is

a demand-supply imbalance in teaching field. The opportunities are becoming rare and the no. of NET qualified is increasing and so at this stage it is dangerous to make more candidates as NET qualified. In the government aided sector,if any, the increase in the no. of teaching aspirant will lead in to speculative trend and the black money provided for a post should be raise to above 50 lac. In self financing sector, the management compel the teachers to work with a 'below par salary' as there will be availability of teachers who is ready to work for less than salary which give to present teacher. The ultimate effect from this situation is decreased quality for dissatisfied job condition

5] UGC had declared the December criteria before the exam and so in any way it does not equate with the June 2012 issue

6] Though UGC clearly mentioned the criteria in notification, they have declared that the minimum earned

candidates should be considered for final preparation of result and the final criteria will be announced before the result. Thus the candidate should understand the "minimum" is not sufficient for "clearing" NET and there will need something more than that and so there is no justification in saying 'declare all the minimum got as cleared NET'.

7] At present all papers are objective type and so there should be some restriction in pass percentage. In previous section the third paper was descriptive and first and second was just qualifiers to value the descriptive. It was difficult to get a 50% in descriptive paper. Such candidates are still job seekers and it is injustice to them if minimum acquired in an objective test is allowed to pass and giving license or right to claim the teaching opportunities to them

There are more arguments like this but can be classified in any of the above argument.Before examining the merits and cross argument of the above points it is desirable to differentiate between an eligibility test and competitive test

(the post will be continued in replies/comment box)

by **vivaradoshi** Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:34 pm

Point of difference	Eligibility Test	Competitive Test
1.Objective of conducting	To test a candidate whether he posses the skills, techniques or whatever needed for a job or profession	To select the most suitable candidates from a group of the eligible candidates for work, post or seat
2.Method of evaluation	Tests whether the candidate posses the basic minimum required skills for job or not	All participating candidates are ‘equally eligible’ and so comprehensive evaluation to select from those
3.Criteria/Cut off	Pre-determined. Candidate’s performance is compared with this pre determined criteria and whether he possess it he can be declared as ‘eligible’. For example in a driving test candidates are required to drive the car in forward and reverse through ‘H’ direction where stumps are fixed .One who drives successfully and not disturbs the stumps passes the eligibility and one who uproots the stump fails	Cannot be predetermined. It is based on the vacancy of posts and overall performance of candidates. For eg. If there are 10 vacancies and 100 applicants and if exam was tough and the top 10 score is 50-30, then 30 will be cut off. Otherwise if the exam was easy and the top 10 scores 95-80, the cut off will be 80. Thus cut off could be determined only after exam
4.Procedure of evaluation	Individual performance is measured and it is compared with the yardstick (the pre-determined standard criteria). For example if 40 is pass mark and then declares all those who earned minimum 40 is passed	Individual performance are measured and compared with the performance of others in the group. No one could ensure his inclusion with his performance only. For eg. In the above example a candidate scores 60 and if there are only 9 candidates above his score, he gets 10^th rank and selected. And if present 11^th in ranklist scores 61, then he become 10^th and the earlier 10^th ranked candidate with 60 will not be selected.
5.Nature of evaluation	Absolute and independent- Performance is compared only with a standard	Relative and dependent- One’s performance is compared with all others in the group
6.Scale of performance	Normally need two scales one eligible and two not eligible	Rank or grade as many as per the requirement
7.Effect of performance	As in the certificate there recorded whether eligible or not and so if minimum is 40%, one requires minimum to pass and no special benefit is got though passed with 100%. Means a pass with 40% and 100% is equal	Every possible higher score ensures the opportunity of being selected and so a higher performance will be beneficial than lower
8.Restriction on result	Since it is a positive test to make candidates eligible for apply jobs there is no restriction in the number of pass outs. If one lac applies and all acquire minimum, then all can be declared as passed	Result is restricted on the basis of requirement or post available. It is a negative process of eliminating the qualified and eligible candidates because of more suitable candidates are available.
9.Out come	A list of eligible candidates (not graded or arranged in order) and a certificate of eligibility	A rank list of ‘selected’ or selectable candidates and they get appointment orders
10.Consequence	Candidate gets opportunity to apply for job, but it is depend on further competitive selection test and so after eligibility it need not result in to employment	It ensures employment

To be continued in next reply

by **vivaradoshi** Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:46 pm

From the above table itself it is clear that NET is an ‘eligibility test’ and should have to follow the rules of eligibility test. If top 15% rule is adopted NET becomes a competitive test. But in no way it ensures job or possess any characteristic that a competitive test should have. So I think everyone at least should agree NET is only an eligibility test and nothing will happen if it is conducted as an eligibility test itself.

Now we can look up to the favorable arguments towards top15%

1] Quality will be demolished if minimum passed is allowed to teach- This is multi dimensional statement. First of all meaning of quality is different for different people. At present there are many teachers in Higher education sector itself without NET or Phd, still no problem with their quality. No one heard news that a significant difference in teaching has experienced while a teacher without NET is replaced by a teacher with NET. There may be just opposite example. However a teacher’s quality is not 100% depend on whether he is cleared NET or not. NET has not contributed even 10% towards the quality of a teacher.

At the present age teacher is a facilitator and should have to take up more responsible roles for which present content and process of NET exam is not compatible or obsolete. I could not stop my laugh when a 30yrs old NET holder joined in a college as his students were well versed to design the blog but the newly appointed teacher doubted even to save a word document. What practical methodology of using the newer tools in teaching is transacted in NET?

Secondly how the ‘under standard’ people get the post of teacher if there are teaching aspirant with quality? The people who cleared with 80% or old descriptive pattern (and even the 40% supplementary of June 2012) claim they are with quality and those who with minimum is lower in quality. After the declaration

of every result, though minimum is allowed to pass there will be some candidates having higher percentage. If they feel they are superior and possess more knowledge and skills and they have more quality, they have to prove it in competitive tests and interviews. Use the quality you believe you have to defeat the ‘fools’ who passed NET with minimum. So need not to worry if you are really confident. But the aim of many of such people is not quality but an ‘easy walk over’ in competitive tests. They think at present for 10 vacancies there is 100 candidates and if minimum people are cleared the number of applicants will be 500 and ‘we have to try hard’ to get the post. So you have named your laziness as quality. You never agree it will bring quality if more people are there for competitive test and all keep preparing for it. Such a situation will be benefited to student community. The ‘uncompetitive’ walk over is the actual cause of loss in quality.

‘We can stop the minimum acquired NET holders from entering to the teaching post by our brilliance and intelligence. But it could be done in government sector only. What could we do if they are capable of offering huge black money as a bribe to enter in private management colleges to demolish the quality of

teaching? (We are only people with quality and the proof of quality lies in the server of UGC as e-certificate and no other including professors of oxford or Cambridge University has no quality because there is no pdf document for them in the server of UGC). So the already qualified candidates with high quality cannot provide enough black money to stop the entrance of less qualified. So UGC should not make them qualified. I have no direct answer to it. Is minimum acquired has any special role in bringing this corrupted system? It has been here for decades and one of the most responsible parties for making this corruption is the already NET qualified candidates themselves

The next argument is that

2] When minimum criteria are followed the number of qualified persons will be more and this effect the future of our country- The statement is made out of ignorance. Nothing will happen if a huge number is declared as eligible for teaching profession. The competition will increase and the economic rules will be begin to work. When many identify there is low scope they will be compelled to take other areas. It

is in every field-Today there are more engineering aspirants than what our country can ‘give space’. So what happens- The economy will find the solution itself. There are so many people suicide for so many causes and it is too rare to commit suicide for one who not got the desired job. So don’t be upset with

numbers. During Second World War America destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan, more than 2 lac people killed and properties costing crores were destroyed. Yet Do Japan demolished? No, in another way it made the people hard work and became a developed country with in decades. So if there was not

trouble in losing the life of 2 lac, then it is foolish to propagate India will be demolished only by giving an eligible certificate to 2 lac people.

Next argument is the following

3] Top 15% rule allows only highly talented candidates to emerge as teachers and a competitive environment for NET exam which in turn increases the quality of faculty -- The already NET holders are came out of this competitive environment? Is it cause to overflow of the quality by 10000% in every college and for the reason there is no space to pack this ‘great quality’ how are you disposing it? So we can ask government for providing a place to dispose the overflowing quality in Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean or

Arabian Sea

4] For this argument the reply is already given. The economic system and its forces should solve these problems. Providing more opportunities by opening new colleges, the govt can enhance the situation. The educational area itself is not exempt from economic laws. When there is an increased supply of teaching aspirants and no change in vacancy it will decrease the demand of NET certificate. But it will be a short term process as the market responds to it and tries to make clear the imbalances. The PG holders may concentrate in other fields rather teaching as there is a traffic jam and such responses normalize the economy of teaching field

Next argument is as follows

5] UGC had declared the December criteria before the exam and so in any way it does not equate with the June 2012 issue- It is right and any criteria should be revealed before the completion of student’s role. It can be announced within the exam notification itself. And the criteria should be a ‘fixed’ one suit with the logic of eligibility test. Top 15% in any way make eligibility test as a competitive test

6] Kerala High Court second order related with UGC case will give the reply of sixth argument. The power of

changing rule in the end of game is described there. Logically the “however…..Result” statement has only validity when abnormal course of action is happened. For eg. Suppose you are a club official and organizes a tournament. A bye-law or rule is prepared and at the last part it will contain a statement- The club has right to change the rule at any time and all teams are abide to follow the same. Suppose before a match start, when both teams came to ground to warm up and stadium is full of crowd and there is just 15 minutes to start the match, you announce the match is being postponed. You claim it by the last clause in bye-law. But it is illegal and you have to pay the sum for every party for their loss- Because there not happened anything against the normal course of action. And suppose you got credible information that a bomb is placed in stadium and so you postpone, you need not pay any sum because an abnormal course of action has occurred in this case. So getting minimum by 3lac people are not an abnormal course of action and so ‘however’ statement is not valid.

7] What can others do if you not get employment? No students asked UGC to make exam as objective or to put a low criteria. UGC can put aggregate 70% for pass within the notification itself or introduce negative marking. But at the time of application, they need maximum candidates and motivate them to apply by announcing low criteria and at the time of result they need only 7% or top 15%. On descriptive session there was options in IIIrd paper but now there is no option and this will remove the imbalance of academic

quality.

by **vivaradoshi** Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:57 pm

The above statements are not meant to hurt the already NET holders. I think 90% of them are confident and jobbed and many others are busy with job searching. But some of 65% and above in June 2012 as well as some 40% supplementary winners are engaged in facebook to illustrate the people who gave petitions in court as fools. They should realize the following.

Your success is not only out of your brilliance. 65% aggregate is taken and further supplementary results are to complete the 7% of total appeared. In some subjects there is no supplementary result for June 2012 because there were already 7% and the deficit to complete 7% is given in supplementary by reducing cutoff. So you should actually give a thanks to these fools and even to those who failed because you have got lucky of being involved in 7% only on account of 93% were there. A model rank list is as follows:

Sub: any subject
Rank	Name	Agg %
1	Anil	86
2	Bineesh	85
3	Catherine	80
4	Daniyel	79
5	Elen	78
6	Farzana	76
7	Ganesh	70
8	Ravi counter	68
9	Prabhu chandran	67
10	Hiya bharathi	65
11	Siksha	63
12	Arun chavar	62
13	Dinesh milan	61
14	Akhil kumaran	60
15	Foolesh	59
16	Fool Raja	58
17	Idiot shetty	57
18	------------------------------
19	----------------------------
---	----------------------------------------
100	Bewakoof	45
101	Bewakoof No2	45
102	Bewakoof No3	44
103	-------------------------
------	--------------------------------
----	----------------------------------
199	Ultimate fool	10
200	King of fools	8

From the above table it is clear that in main result for June UGC has taken or declared only 10 person having 65% or more. Later there were total 200 candidates and 7% is 14 and so 4 more people upto rank no 14 Akhil kumaran were declared passed in supplementary result. So the all 14 people who cleared NET has no right to make the other 186 fools. Their inclusion in the passed list is not the result of their effort,

but just by luck or bad luck of those 186 people. They had two way chance of exclusion. Firstly if the candidates starting from Rank No 15 fools have made three or four questions right they would have get 1.71% (for 3 more correct) or 2.28% (for 4 more correct) and the then they could get higher ranks. As the

result of these Akhil kumaran and some of them had to sit in the failed bench. So I request those Akhil kumarans to praise the lord for saving you.

In another way suppose 100 ‘idiots’ from the above 200 determined to not to appear for the exam. Then there is only 100 candidates and 7% will be the 7 itself.And in no way the people from 8^th rank will pass. They will be near the bench of petitioners. So mere appearance by these idiots has resulted in your victory and so don’t be over proud. Actually you have the obligation to see their situation empathetically and help them to clear the NET as they are basically responsible for your clearance of NET.

by **vivaradoshi** Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:02 pm

OK. I am to conclude with my arguments against the top 15% rule.

1] NET is an eligibility test and so a top 15% rule is not suitable for eligibility test. There is no need of

restricting or rationing of students because it is not mandatory to any bodies to give job to NET holders. It is only a license which allows candidates to apply for a job. If all such qualifier tests have been rationed, many candidates at present have not even passed their 10^th standard.

2] UGC itself never prepares a rank list for giving job after the clearance of NET. It is the responsibility

of the university or authorities of colleges who decide the merit and quality of teaching. So getting 100% and the minimum % are equal in case of NET. There is no first class NET or Second class NET. All passed are NET Qualified

3] The top 15% rule compels candidates to fight for unknown criteria. They are not aware whether they had to get 80 or 90 or how much percentage for a pass. So it is cruel to make the candidates to fight with darkness. It is no matter how high percentage (even as aggregate 95%) is put as criteria, but should be revealed early and should be given an opportunity to candidates to well understood about the target they
have to be achieved. Otherwise it will be like chasing a score in a rain-hit cricket match where the batsman in the crease will not get any idea about how many over will they get or how many runs should they score to be win.

4] Individual performance has no role in top 15% rule. Suppose 100 candidates achieves minimum and one of them scores 75%. He cannot assure his entry in to success with his performance as he is evaluated relatively with other’s performance. If there are 14 or less candidates with 75% or above scored in the list, he is then passed and if one more candidate is there with 75.01%, the fellow will be out. So success and
failure has no effect on his own performance, but the other’s performance actually determines his success or failure.

5] Top 15% of minimum is equal to 6-7% of the total candidates. So taking only a percentage and rejecting the remaining irrespective of their performance is cruel. Thus top 15% rules expose atleast 93% candidates for a sure failure-No matter how high % they scored. Suppose 15 candidates got 100% marks and 85 candidates got 99% in an exam of 100 candidates. The all candidates with 99% will be in failed list out of this nonsense rule.

6] The top15% rule for December 2012 NET exam was announced just before three days of exam. It is under jurisdiction of court that the power of announcing further criteria at later part of Exam, whether it may be before the exam (after applied) or after exam and just before declaration of result. Though the above arguments are rejected, students had not got enough time for an elaborated preparation.3 days are not enough to prepare to become among top 15%

7] Moreover top 15% rule is announced in internet. No advertisement of notification made before exam in any Govt Gazette or journals. The candidates from remote areas were aware of the changed criteria only when a conversation with colleagues in the exam centre.

8] The minimum for general candidates are 40 40 and 50 % in Paper I, II and III respectively. Or a candidate from General category has to make 20 plus 20 plus 38 right answers minimum in each paper respectively to consider him means, a total 78 right answers or 156 marks or 44.57% aggregate score (with only minimum requirement. A candidate who scores 0 in paper I and 3 in paper II and 75 in paper III has
78 right answers but not minimum in each). So it is aggregate 44.57% with minimum 40 40 50 was effective minimum aggregate to be earned for considering as passed. In June 2012 the cut off percentage for the subject Mass Communication and Journalism was aggregate 45.71%. This indicate the 7% candidates got only 80 or above right answers. (80/175*100= 45.71%). So assume only 10% will include in minimum or for June exam only 10% of candidates are earned minimum in MCJ subject. When this is happened in December only 10Xtop15%= 1.5%. So the pass% in some subject will be below 2% when top 15% rule which is a challenge towards the candidates

9] For applying to NET Exam, there is 2 option i) Apply for both JRF and Lectureship and ii) Lectureship
only. So the candidates once, twice, thrice or 6 times cleared NET may have applied for December 2012 Exam with option1 in the expectation of getting JRF, (they don’t need Lectureship as already having multiple certificates with them and only need JRF). As they are experienced and preparing for JRF, the possibility of the clearance of Lectureship is high. Suppose in 100 candidates who got minimum, there are 20 such candidates and as they are concentrated heavily in preparation for JRF,then all top 15% will be such candidates who actually don’t want any more NET certificate. Consequently it is occurred in the ‘expense’ of those who really want NET. The candidates who applied only for lectureship also pulled out by these JRF only needed candidates. They never lay in bed but causes to push out others who really need a bed. This happens only by top 15% rule.

10] In the original notification of applications invited for December 2012, UGC has promised that those who get minimum will be considered for final preparation of result. The top 15% from those who get minimum will only be considered in practice. What special consideration will be given to the remaining 85% of those having minimum. The failed one (those who not minimum) is out and declared as failed. And the remaining 85% is also failed. Then what is difference between these two entirely different parties (one party without minimum and the other with minimum).Both are treated same and no special ‘consideration’ is availed as
said in the notification

So that’s all about top 15% criteria. I am sorry if anyone feels bad on my statement. Please don’t take it emotionally and all criticism will be welcomed.

by **raman** Sun Mar 24, 2013 9:31 pm

Vivaradoshi has described his deep thoughts in the matter. I think now NET Exam has become aimless throw to mango tree. To get a mango the thrower has first to see the mango cluster in the branch and them aim his direction. The aimless random through may bring the leaves only

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