Why evaluate non-scholastic abilities at all?
Non-scholastic abilities are not just ‘nice to have’ or ‘desirable to have’, but ‘must have’ qualities. And since they are ‘must have’- every effort must go into learning them. Evaluation of these qualities is essential for two reasons. One, anything which is not evaluated is never learnt properly. You might pick up things by observation, but if you know something is going to be assessed, you learn it thoroughly, whether it is theory, practical or attitudinal. Two, the evaluation system itself is a motivating factor to imbibe these skills into one’s personality. Not all evaluation is summative. Formative evaluation also helps us correct the intervention process. Evaluation will also give the student an opportunity to know where he needs to improve. It is aimed at remedying the lacunae which exist. Then there is another thing also, called Hawthorne effect. The fact that someone is watching you, in itself changes the performance. Unless we give weightage to these abilities- howsoever sma
