A new wave outsourcing – UK High School students to be graded by Indians – can Indian companies maintain the sanctity?
Sonia Chopra
Apr. 26, 2005

A new wave of outsourcing has started. Indian will grade the British High School students now. Papers for Britain's key GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams are to be sent to India for marking in a controversial move to cut costs. The key question now is can Indian companies maintain the sanctity of ethical behavior in education? In India, education is marred with corrupted behavior. Examination questions are leaked regularly, examiners are bribed to get better markings and grade and even change in grades in the transcripts happen. Money talks in India, says some experts. If you have money and influence you can get “things done” in India. Not all are corrupted. In general teachers, students and general population is very sincere and probably represents world’s best. But the “Quick money” Indian traders have jabbed the educations system too.

Some High School Students and their parents hearing about this new move of sending the exam papers to India are up in the arms. Someone jokingly said in London, now we have to bribe in Indian Rupees to get better markings – actually it is easier now to do that since the papers are sent to India.

Papers for Britain's key GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams are to be sent to India for marking in a controversial move to cut costs. The Assessments and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), Britain's leading school examination board, has signed a two million pound contract for history, French, German and Italian papers to be marked in India. Salaries for examination markers in India are said to be a mere fifth of those in Britain. GCSE exams, which are taken at year 11 of education, mark one of the most important stages for British school children.

They form the bedrock of a highly competitive jobs and education market, as thousands of children leave school after their GCSEs to pursue career options. And for those pursuing higher education at the end of year 13, many of Britain's top universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, will often take an applicant's GCSE grades into account before offering them a place. Although the AQA says the papers are only being sent for marking one-word answers, the deal, under which 500,000 papers will be marked in India, has been strongly criticised by teachers and others.

"Britain's educational system used to be the envy of the world. Parents are going to be appalled when they read about this new initiative," said Nick Seaton of the Campaign for Real Education, a lobby group formed in 1987 by parents and teachers. John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, described the deal as "a desperate way to hold up a sinking system".

Annis Garfield, a former examiner in classics and English literature, said: "I am speechless. Indian markers have no idea about our educational system, or what is expected from our children." The education spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, Tim Collins, added: "This will do nothing to reassure parents and teachers that our public exam system is sufficiently robust or stretching for pupils."

According a report published by the pro-Conservative Daily Express newspaper, early trials in India were fraught with problems as several thousand papers were returned late. A former employee of Data and Research Services, which handles the work for the exam board, said problems with French papers caused panic.

"If there are delays when we only send out a few thousand papers, what will happen in the summer when half a million go out there?" he asked. A spokeswoman for AQA denied there were any delays.

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