The popular owners of Patna's coaching centres, Faizal Khan and Motiur Rahman Khan, known as "Khan Sir" and "Guru Rahman," were detained along with other protesters during a demonstration against the Bihar Public Service Commission's use of "normalisation" in their upcoming preliminary test. Normalisation is a controversial process that aims to address variation in difficulty levels of different question papers, potentially disadvantaging deserving students. While the BPSC has not officially announced normalisation for the December 13 exam, protesters are demanding a written assurance that it will not be implemented. Several candidates have raised objections to normalisation in the past, leading to changes in the results after intervention by the Patna High Court.
Controversial Detention of Coaching Centre Owners in Patna Amidst Normalisation Protests
Background:
Normalisation is a statistical technique used in competitive examinations to adjust for variations in difficulty levels between different versions of a question paper. It aims to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged due to receiving a more difficult paper and vice versa.
In Bihar, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has faced criticism over its use of normalisation in recent years. Critics argue that it can lead to arbitrary changes in results and undermine the merit-based selection process.
Current Events:
On December 9, 2023, popular Patna coaching center owners Faizal Khan ("Khan Sir") and Motiur Rahman Khan ("Guru Rahman") were detained along with other protesters during a demonstration against the BPSC's potential use of normalisation in the upcoming preliminary test scheduled for December 13.
The protesters demanded a written assurance from the BPSC that normalisation would not be implemented in the exam. They argued that it would disadvantage deserving candidates who had prepared diligently.
Past Events:
In 2022, the Patna High Court intervened in a case related to the BPSC's use of normalisation in the Assistant Engineer (Civil) Examination. The court directed the BPSC to recalculate the results without normalisation and award appropriate compensation to affected candidates.
Top 5 FAQs and Answers:
1. What is normalisation and why is it controversial? Answer: Normalisation is a statistical method used to adjust for differences in difficulty between exam papers. It can be controversial because it can potentially change exam results and raise questions about the fairness of the selection process.
2. Why are coaching center owners protesting normalisation? Answer: Coaching center owners believe that normalisation disadvantages their students, who may have prepared for a particular difficulty level on the exam paper. They argue that it undermines the merit-based selection process.
3. What is the BPSC's stance on normalisation? Answer: The BPSC has not officially announced whether it will use normalisation in the upcoming exam. However, it has stated in the past that normalisation may be necessary to ensure fairness.
4. What happened to the protesters who were detained? Answer: All the protesters, including Khan Sir and Guru Rahman, were released on bail shortly after their detention. The charges against them are still pending.
5. What is the future of normalisation in Bihar? Answer: The future of normalisation in Bihar remains uncertain. The BPSC has not made a final decision on its use in the upcoming exam. However, the ongoing protests and legal challenges may influence the Commission's decision-making process.
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