Graduates appearing for the civil service common examinations (CSCE) in the general category say the 20 percent weighting given to their degree marks is not fair.

They contend that this practice does not give a level playing field for graduates of different disciplines of study. For example, Geography and Dzongkha students, they say, usually score much higher marks than Economics and English students. So academic marks differ from one discipline to another, and they do not necessarily reflect the true worth of graduates. However, 20 percent of academic marks weighting in the examinations is a blanket application across the disciplines.

“No matter how much effort we put into the CSCE, competency notwithstanding, graduates with lower degree marks are still disadvanweektaged,” said Yeshi Lhendup, an Economics honours graduate from Sherubtse College.

Namgyal Dorji, an English honours graduate, said the 20 percent weighting does not give graduates a ‘level playing field’. “Good students will always do well, in college or in CSCE,” he said. “So what’s the use of 20 percent weighting across the board?”

Namgyal Dorji also said that marks would always differ, not due to competency, but due to difference in disciplines of study and different evaluation criteria in different universities. “If we all had come from one university, there is no problem,” he added. “Let graduates compete in the same examination conducted and evaluated by a same group of people.”

The RCSC reduced the academic weighting from 30 percent to 20 percent this year.

Chief Human Resource Officer of RCSC, Dorji Tshering, said that it was exactly for the reason graduates stated that the commission brought the academic weighting down this year. He said the commission was planning to bring down the percentage further.

According to Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations 2006, the RCSC in the future may consider waiving the academic weighting in the bachelor’s degree. “To do away with the academic weighting, however, we need to strengthen the examinations,” Dorji Tshering said.

With the examinations for technical category completed, 706 graduates, who fall under the general category, wrote their first paper, Dzongkha, yesterday.

Today and tomorrow, the graduates will write papers on English and general knowledge, and socio-political institutions and socio-economic development since 1961.

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6 Responses to “Graduates dissent exam criteria”

1. phuntsho on November 13th, 2009 6:11 pm

   Quote “Namgyal Dorji also said that marks would always differ, not due to competency, but due to difference in disciplines of study and different evaluation criteria in different universities. “If we all had come from one university, there is no problem,” he added”. But I say, “If the differences in marks are not due to one’s competencies and abilities, then how comes some students fail while some come out with flying results ( within the discipline).

   Quote “According to Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations 2006, the RCSC in the future may consider waiving the academic weighting in the bachelor’s degree. “ This is going to be a big blunder. This will dampen the spirit of the hard working students. What use is the high marks if it has no weightage in the evaluation of one’s performance.
   Some weightage should always be given no matter what the studdents with low marks say.

2. Zomlha on November 14th, 2009 1:53 pm

   I think Class 12 marks should be included too, because some students who did badly in class 12 go to private colleges and get really high marks in Bachelors degree. How is this fair to people who did well in Class 12 exams and end up taking difficult Bachelors courses.

3. AP Parop on November 14th, 2009 8:33 pm

   As far as i am concerned giving a weightage to the degree marks is very very important to make the students study in their degree courses. i am writing this through my own experience. Despite the fact that degree marks carry 30% weightage in common exam before many student dont bother to study thinking that they still have 70% to prove in the common exam. when the common exam comes most of the student landed up performing better in GK and other general papers but very poor performance in their own field.
   if the degree marks are not given any weightage then i am sure that many student will take the courses very lightly and will suffer in the common exam. Hence many students will neither have a good degree mark nor better performance in common exam. Till now weightage to degree marks in common exam is serving as check for student to do better in their degree course and also prepare better for the RCSE-common exam.
   No doubt that that some board is much tougher than other and one field is harder than another but than waiving the weightage of degree marks in common exam doesn’t seems to be a wiser solution to this problem.
   There fore I guess everyone should crack your brain to find a wiser soulution to this problem before making another mistake to ruin the carrier of another hard working student.

4. AP Parop on November 14th, 2009 8:49 pm

   As far as i am concerned giving a weightage to the degree marks is very very important to make the students study in their degree courses. i am writing this through my own experience. Despite the fact that degree marks carry 30% weightage in common exam before many student dont bother to study thinking that they still have 70% to prove in the common exam. when the common exam comes most of the student landed up performing better in GK and other general papers but very poor performance in their own field.
   if the degree marks are not given any weightage then i am sure that many student will take the courses very lightly and will suffer in the common exam. Hence many students will neither have a good degree mark nor better performance in common exam. Till now weightage to degree marks in common exam is serving as check for student to do better in their degree course and also prepare better for the RCSE-common exam.
   No doubt that that some board is much tougher than other and one field is harder than another but than waiving the weightage of degree marks in common exam doesn’t seems to be a wiser solution to this problem.
   There fore I guess everyone should crack your brain to find a wiser soulution to this problem before making another mistake to ruin the career of another hard working student.

5. Pennnn on November 15th, 2009 6:26 am

   I also share the same concern as phuntsho. If RCSC is planning to waive off the degree marks completely, it will seriously hamper the students’ performance in the university. They will eventually be aiming at just getting selected through CSCE exams, and will not care about studying well in the college, after all there is no “reward” for working hard and getting better results! Ok, students may start reading just news papers right from the freshman year, and neglect the main courses……i think even the present system is so weak….i would rather have more weight-age than not having at all…………

6. phantasy on November 19th, 2009 6:59 pm

   I too share concern with phuntsho, however, weightage of degree marks should be brought down to 10%.

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