By Dr. Waseem Hassan.
In Pakistan there are more than 200 universities and 43000 young faculty members (employed or unemployed). Different universities have their own policies and criteria for new jobs and promotions. These policies are widely based on different factors such as the university’s mission, academic focus, size, location, and overall organizational culture etc… The selection marks are allocated to academic performance, screening test, distinctions, additional relevant higher qualification, experience, research publications, national/international recognition in terms of awards/medals, and performance in the interview etc..
Recently I got access to the “rules related to marking” of applicants of a Pakistani university. The rules were designed and implemented more than 20 years ago. The university considers the academic marks of four examinations (Matric, FSc, BSc & M.A./M.Sc or 4-Year BS program) in promotions. The university award 35 and 40 marks to academic performance (for BPS-18 to 21, respectively).
However 10-15 years ago a board in HSSC exam was topped for instance, on 1000 out of 1100. But in 2021-22, various students from board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Mardan and Lahore, obtained 100% marks in HSSC exams i.e. 1100 marks out of 1100. This shows the rise of “grade inflation/GI” in Pakistan.
The GI refers to the trend of consistently increasing grades or scores awarded to students over time without a corresponding increase in the actual level of knowledge or skills demonstrated by the students. In other words, it’s a situation where higher grades are given for the same level of performance that would have received lower grades in the past. GI can occur at various levels of education, including primary, secondary, and tertiary (college and university) levels. It can have several causes, including changes in teaching methods, curricula, assessment practices, and student expectations. Some of its consequences include but not limited to reduced meaning of grades, diminished academic standards, impact on motivation, misleading indicators and mismatch between skills and expectations etc…
Addressing grade inflation requires a multi-faceted approach that involves evaluating grading practices, standardizing assessment methods, ensuring that grades accurately reflect student performance, and maintaining a commitment to maintaining academic rigor. It’s important to strike a balance between recognizing students’ achievements and maintaining the integrity of the educational system.
Handling grade inflation in the context of job interviews and academic marks allocation also requires a thoughtful and balanced approach to ensure fairness and accuracy in candidate evaluation. For the purpose concrete mathematical and statistical measures are needed to handle this issue in marks allocation for jobs.
great peice