Open-book exams: Redefining evaluation

Refer to ‘Open-book exams are worth a try’; the introduction of open-book exams is a welcome step towards breaking the chain of rote learning and mechanised memorisation. However, their success will depend on more than just allowing students to carry textbooks into the exam hall. The real transformation lies in reworking questions, reimagining evaluation and fostering a culture of critical inquiry. If implemented with care, open-book exams can restore the joy of learning, encourage independent thought and prepare students to face real-world challenges with confidence. But if reduced to a mechanical exercise, it would risk becoming yet another failed experiment.

Gaurav Badhwar, Rohtak

Open-book requires diligence

Apropos of ‘Open-book exams are worth a try’; an education system based merely on rote learning rarely produces the desired results. Going by my father’s experience as an engineering student in the 1960s, among all his examinations, he found the open-book format as the most challenging. The prescribed text was bulky and comprehensive, and unless a student had familiarised himself/herself with the content beforehand, referring to it during the exam proved futile. So, the open-book exams are not entirely a novel concept but rather a demanding and insightful one. This format requires diligent preparation by students and thoughtful, well-designed questions from teachers. Only with sincerity on both sides can open-book exams achieve their true purpose.

Pratibha, Zirakpur

Subjective questions better

With reference to ‘Open-book exams are worth a try’; we seem to be over-optimistic of the likely outcomes of open-book exams. Can we afford to avoid memory learning altogether? Appearing in exams without books inculcates the sense of time management, concentration and discipline. Understanding and memorising go side by side. We should lay more emphasis on subjective questions, be it regular classes or competitive exams, as it requires deep understanding and analytical ability to answer them.

KR Bharti, Shimla

Disrupting critical supply chain

Apropos of ‘Nepal is facing a moment of reckoning’, the current political instability threatens to disrupt crucial supply chains, including delays at major transit points like Raxaul-Birgunj and Sunauli-Bhairahawa. It will harm both Indian exporters and Nepali consumers, creating an unfavourable investment climate in manufacturing, telecommunications and power sectors. It will stall construction of numerous cross-border hydropower projects and transmission lines and threaten energy cooperation. We need to maintain diplomatic engagement with our neighbour to mitigate the economic fallout of the current situation.

Vaibhav Goyal, Chandigarh

Using AI in disaster management

Apropos of ‘Harnessing technology for disaster preparedness’; dealing with disasters by taking the help of artificial intelligence (AI) is a pivotal and appropriate measure. Providing medical aid, optimising resource allocation, carrying out evacuation, assessment of damage via sensors, cameras, drones can be effectively managed via AI. It will enhance our ability to deal with emergencies during disasters with increased accuracy. AI has been a game-changer in saving lives and mitigating damage to property and people during catastrophes in other parts of the world.

Vasudha Pande, Paonta Sahib

Thaw in India-US relations

Refer to ‘PM calls India, US natural allies after Trump’s trade overtures’; India has done well by holding its ground and also sending some strategic signals to the Trump administration through its stand at the SCO Summit in Tianjin. If the US wants to counter China’s growing hegemony in the Indo-Pacific, it will need India. Most importantly, there are huge mutual benefits that will accrue from synergy in fields such as scientific research.

PL Singh, by mail