Education

The Indian Institutes of Technology, a.k.a. the IITs, are well-known for their entrance exams, the famous JEE, the Joint Entrance Exam. I ranked #524 (I think) back in 1978, when the questions were essay-type. I remember having to solve detailed problems in math. physics and chemistry. Now, even the IITs have gone to a multiple-choice exam format.

Today, the WSJ has an interesting article titled "India's Colleges Battle a Thicket of Red Tape" in which describes the labyrinth of Indian regulations. What the article does not describe is the scale of corruption in Indian Education. One of my friends was closely involved with the JEE and also the oversight of other Indian engineering schools and expressed his great frustration at the sheer scale of corruption involved.

On a different note, WSJ had an interesting article on the South Korean Entrance Exam- On College-Entrance Exam Day, All of South Korea Is Put to the Test. This exam determines which university a student can get admitted to.
Video-clip from WSJ.

These stories come on the heels of my recent harrowing experience- grading project reports of my students.