Covid-19 | Boards in some BJP-ruled States cancel Class 12 exams

Following the Central authorities’s determination to cancel the CBSE Class 12 exams as a result of pandemic, a number of State boards have adopted go well with. The BJP-ruled Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been the primary to announce cancellation on Wednesday, however Central officers anticipate a majority of States to comply with their cue.

“During the consultation with State governments last week, most of them indicated that they were looking to the CBSE as a reference point. A majority of State boards are now likely to cancel their exams as well,” a senior Education Ministry official instructed The Puucho.

“If they instead choose to hold their own board exams later, and postpone it too much, it is their own students who will suffer once the higher education admission season begins. That is one reason this [cancellation] was done, so that the next academic session is not too badly impacted. We have learnt the lesson from last year,” mentioned the official.

States akin to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh mentioned they’re nonetheless contemplating their choices and can take a call in a day or two. Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad tweeted her appreciation of the CBSE cancellation and mentioned the State board would additionally take a call “keeping students’ health and safety in mind”. The State has beforehand mentioned the Centre and States have to comply with a uniform coverage.

Keeping States in the loop

Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla additionally known as for the Centre to coordinate higher with States. “Out of the blue, they come out with a decision which was half-baked. We agree exams are cancelled in the interests of children, but they should have consulted and rolled out a plan on the alternative assessment formula and then made an announcement,” he instructed The Puucho.

“The government of India should convene a meeting, so States can input into whatever formula is being worked out. Every State board looks up to the CBSE, and we want to ensure that our children are being left behind,” he mentioned.

CBSE officers say it’ll take just a few days to construction the factors for Class 12 analysis. “There is no need for students to panic. Tomorrow, we will inform the Supreme Court of the decision to cancel. Then we will start working on the assessment methodology. It will take some days,” mentioned controller of examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj.

Another CBSE official indicated that two fundamental choices are being thought-about. “One option is to grade students based on their internal assessment and practical exam marks in Class 12, just as we are doing for Class 10 students. To prevent mark inflation by schools, the students’ grades would be rationalised based on the last three years’ board examination performance of the school. The mark distribution given by the school should be in tune with the historical data,” mentioned the official.

“The other option is to use the average of the Class 9, 10 and 11 marks. But this may not be reliable, because there may not be consistency over three years, plus the subjects taken by students in Class 11 and 12 are different,” mentioned the official.

Preparing for future

The senior Education Ministry official mentioned faculty boards should additionally strengthen their steady evaluation strategies going ahead, contemplating the likelihood that COVID might stop Class 12 exams even in 2022.

“In a way, this can be seen as a blessing in disguise, if school boards are forced to realise it is possible to grade children without a singular focus on the year end exam alone. Students face so much pressure to do well on that one day, but there is more to education than that,” mentioned the official, including that tips have been being developed to encourage common unit exams and venture work in State board colleges as effectively.

“Maybe this will also convince prestigious colleges like [those in] Delhi University to find other admission methods, rather than Class 12 marks becoming a do-or-die situation.”