For the midterm and final term
examinations, I designed multiple choice questions that had more options than
the standardized four. Typically, most
multiple choice questions have options A, B, C, D. I had questions where option
E was also available which said all the options given in A, B, C, D are correct,
even Option F where none of the options given in A, B, C, D are correct.
It takes lots of courage, guts and
knowledge to choose “none of the above options are correct”. By giving 6
options instead of 4, the probability of guessing can be reduced from 1 in 4 to
1 in 6. Complexity can be increased by giving negative marks for wrong answers.
All in all, students found testing be tough and took examinations and
Continuous Internal Evaluation (CIE) seriously.
Education was a serous affair in Ethiopia
and it was a privilege for the select few. I am told that till the late 90s, it
was privy to a select few and the students took the process to the heart. I
listened with astonishment and with a wide open mouth when one of my Ethiopian colleague
explained how it was possible to conduct an examination and leave the students
unattended – the ethical and moral bound students would not even attempt to
cheat.
But alas by the time we went in
2002, things had changed, and drastically!
Education had become more mainstream and like all main steam activities
lot of malaises has crept into the system including the propensity to cheat! So
invigilation was no different from India, we needed to have all the senses with
us and be vigilant.
Most examinations would be held in
PEDA auditorium and it was quite common to see multiple examinations being held
at the same time. Students could come and get portable chair cum tables and the
examination would start. There was absolutely no help or assistance from the
examination department.
Once the mid term papers were corrected
they were up for scrutiny for the students. We used to post the timings and it
was quite common to see many students wait in front of our office patiently to
check their performance. They looked exactly like Indians waiting for their
ration outside the PDS shops in India or like voters waiting to cast their
votes.
The students would silently float
in take their papers and look at them. Their eyes would open wide in
astonishment and in surprise. Some were terrific actors - they would not
believe what they have just seen, rubbing their eyes, they would check if it
was their own answer script! “I simply can’t believe this”.
Most would heave a
deep sigh, look accusingly at me and leave in a huff. Some would look up and give
me a mute silent appeal “Mister, why don’t you reconsider?” Early in my career,
I had developed a heart of stone. I had no compassion or soft feeling.
The annoying part was that the students
would rapidly talk to each other in Amharic and even throw somewhat accusing glances
at us. We Indians quickly understood that we were being spoken about and that
too critically! They were talking, about
us!
We Indian teachers got our own
back at the students. Mansoor, Me, Dr. Srinivas Inguva and Dr. T. N. Murthy
conversed very freely with each other but in chaste telugu and taking care that
no English words were used. This stumped the Amharic speaking Ethiopians. For example,
we would say “mana Vidhyardhulu tama pariksha phalithalu telusukodaniki
vacccharu (our students have come to know their examination result” and smile
at each other.
This might not be a very wise
strategy in 2018. India and Ethiopia enjoy very good relations and many
Ethiopian teachers do their Post-Graduation and PhD in India. It is quite
common even to see many Ethiopian under graduate students in India and a
sizable number of them study in Hyderabad and in Visakhapatnam. They might
understand rudimentary Telugu and might get a gist of what is being spoken. Telugu speakers in Ethiopia, beware!
One of the students who was
checking his mid-term answer script was despondent. Hoping to cheer him up, I
said, “Don’t worry, it is all right. I am sure you would do well, the next time”.
And I had said it in Amharic, the little Amharic that I knew. The glassy look in the student remained. He was staring at me as if I was carved out
of stone. Somehow this rattled me. Like they say, ‘this guy got my goat’! I spoke loudly and in English, “Why are you
not getting it! Why don’t you respond?”. And added sarcastically, “Don’t you
understand Amharic?”
The student snapped back, “How can
I? I am not an Ethiopian! I am a Somali student and I am a foreign exchange
student studying in Bahirdar University”. I was too stunned to respond. Once
the mid-term results were given there would be sullen faces in the class for a
session or two but students being students cheered up and later on it was
business as usual.
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