Every year we become flabbergasted by the number of students who get Grade Point Average (GPA)-5 in secondary and Higher secondary exams. And the number is ever increasing. At the same time, Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of university students is also being inflated. Now the question is: does this inflation in grades represent the quality of education? This is quite a controversial topic to dwell on, since some people think that inflation in grades is justified while some think that it is producing poor learning. Moreover, the ranking of schools and colleges every year is based on the indices such as passing rate and the number of GPA-5 holders from the respective schools and colleges. The problem starts with this ranking method itself. How is it possible that a college's ranking should be based on only the passing rate and the number of GPA-5 holders? This ranking method has increased unhealthy competition among schools and colleges to inflate the grades and so is the outcome. Let us reflect on these two points at some length.
First, the passing rate seems apparently quite justified since a school's position should be judged by how many students sat for examinations and how many have passed. But this is not the end. The weight given to this one factor should be weighed against other factors. Another crucial factor that is totally missing in determining ranking of schools is the number of students who have appeared from a particular college has been able to secure position in top colleges. But in the current context, quantifying this factor is quite impossible since colleges admit students on the basis of GPA. This is one major factor that has caused severe deterioration in the quality of education at the school level. When everybody looks similar with GPA-5, you can't judge a student solely on the basis of GPA-5. Some kind of screening device is necessary to distinguish lemon students (bad and poor students) from good students.
As for the number of GPA-5 holders, the outcome is the worst. How can one rate a school or a college on the number of GPA-5 holders? Does it indicate that quantity is all that matters? What if a golden GPA-5 holder fails to get admitted to a good university after passing from a college? What does that GPA-5 signify? It signifies that GPA-5 has become a cheap product and that it is sold in the open market at a cheap price.
To improve the quality of education, first we need to reduce the weight given to this factor in assessing the standard of schools and colleges. Let's give a vivid example. A close look at Notre Dame College will show one thing quite clearly that it has outstanding records in one respect: its students outcompete students from other colleges in admission tests of Dhaka University, public medical colleges, BUET and so on. If you look every year at the admission statistics of the above mentioned institutions, you will see that majority of the accepted students at top public universities, medical and engineering colleges come from Notre Dame College. The performance of Notre Dame College indicates that we need to re-evaluate our method. Ranking of schools and colleges shouldn't be based on the number of GPA-5. Significant weight should be given to the placement of students from a particular school or college on whether they have been able to secure a position at the top universities and if so, what percentage of accepted students come from a particular college or school.
Let me give another example. At the North South University (NSU), instructors are advised that only 20 per cent of total students in a class should be given A and A minus. That means if the class size is forty, then only 8 students will get A and A minus in total. Students often argue that NSU is very much conservative regarding grades. We think that even 20 per cent rule is too much. The benchmark should be lowered to 10 per cent to 15 per cent. This doesn't mean that instructors should deny students of good grades. This is to say that given the pool of students, 10 per cent to 15 per cent would be much better. However, 20 per cent benchmark is good enough if not the best or better.
The kind of problem we face at the university level teaching is that the current pool of students are accustomed to inflated GPA - a custom that has seeped into their brains from the flawed system followed at the school and college level. These students are after GPA and not after learning. But getting good GPA and learning are not mutually exclusive. If a student is up for proper understanding of the materials taught in classes, obtaining good GPA is not at all difficult for him. The present trend of GPA-centric education has tarnished the whole system, and the effect is now clearly evident at the university level. But we remind that university is not an institution to give away grades cheaply as it is being done currently at the school and college level and also in some universities too.
A few days ago, this writer met a student who studies at a private university which costs as much as it costs to get Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree at the NSU. The writer asked him why has he chosen such a university while he can get better service and education with the same cost at NSU? The reply was that NSU is too much conservative about grades. Only because of grades, he has opted for another university. This type of mentality was quite unusual more than fifteen years ago.
To recoup the whole system of education, we need to tighten the standards at the school and college level so that the students don't become obsessed with their grades. If we spoil them by allowing them to remain so obsessed, the education system will crumble day by day. The trend has already started.
GPA inflation can be reckoned as the increase in quantity, not in quality. To reverse this degenerating trend we need first to change the ranking methodology of schools and colleges. Less weight should be given to the number of GPAs obtained. More weight should be placed on the placement of students in good universities and colleges. This will reflect the strength and quality of education of schools and colleges.
The writer is Faculty Member,
The School of Business, North South University.
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