After 8,000 candidates failed to qualify for a test conducted for 80 posts of accountants in the Directorate of accounts, Goa, there has been a call for carrying out a review of the quality of higher education in Goa. The directive of higher education has called for a meeting to discuss the same.
“We are only an administrative department and the academic aspects like syllabus, evaluation system etc are decided by the Goa University and implemented by the university and by the colleges. But still, after nearly 8,000 candidates could not pass the test, we have decided to review the quality of education in colleges,” Director of Higher Education Prasad Lolyekar told STOI.
He also added that the meeting which will be conducted this week will decide the constitution of the panel that will engage in the re-evaluation. The terms on which the committee would work will also be decided in the meeting.
The parameters of evaluation will include the syllabus and overall quality as 8,000 failing a test is an unusual number and has raised many eyebrows, told Prasad Lolyekar.
“The evaluation of the higher education system will not say anything about the examination carried out for the posts, however. The exam for the posts was carried out by the state board and we will not interfere in that,” added Lolyekar.
The exam, which was conducted in January this year, saw its results announced only this month. It was declared on 21st August that all 8,000 who took the exam failed to qualify. The candidates who would have cleared the exam were supposed to be appointed to 80 posts of accountants in the state directorate of accounts.
The state government is on the receiving end of widespread criticism as to how nearly 8,000 candidates could fail. A member of the Goa board of secondary and higher secondary education said, “There is a provision in the act of the Goa board that it will conduct such examinations for the state government whenever it is asked and whenever it is possible for the board. The board has held several search selection tests previously, too, for the state government. Paper correction, too, is done by Goa board by engaging teachers. I do not remember any such exam before where none of the candidates qualified.”