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Expert Comment

Board exams

mystique

KRISHNA KUMAR

HE KARNATAKA STATE GOVERNMENT’S deci- The Karnataka state government is
sion to revive board exams in classes V and VIII is
in keeping with the post-RTE (Right of Children to pushing the evaluation system several
TFree and Compulsory Education Act, 2009) trend. steps backward. The RTE Act, 2009 had
Several state governments taking advantage of an amend-
ment forced into RTE’s original text and rationale for ban- stipulated school-based assessment
ning board exams throughout the eight years of compulsory such as continuous and comprehensive
elementary education, have already done this.
The word ‘board’ evokes fear in every Indian student’s evaluation (CCE)
heart. No matter how hard working a student is, the pros-
pect of a board exam instills instant anxiety. What is a several steps backward. The RTE Act, passed by Parliament
‘board’ and how did this word acquire this stressful con- in 2009, had stipulated that instead of annual board exams,
notation? school-based assessment techniques such as comprehen-
In the western world, boards are elected bodies that man- sive and continuous evaluation (CCE) should be used. For
age the public education system. In India, they emerged dur- a few years, several state government directorates and the
ing the colonial period from the need to govern the crucial CBSE displayed great enthusiasm to promote school-based
matriculation exam in a confidential manner. Secrecy was assessment. Considerable progress was made in many parts
the key to their role and functioning. Colonial rulers didn’t of the country by training teachers to understand and ap-
trust teachers to assess children studying under them. preciate the new approach to evaluation.
Therefore, externally conducted exams were deemed part from change in pedagogic style and classroom
necessary. The exam paper, i.e, questions, the paper set- Aethos, these alternative ways of evaluation demanded
ter, and evaluator were all shrouded in secrecy. On the other faith in the teacher’s ability to assess children in a fair and
side, the identity of every student was also firmly encoded, encouraging manner. But it’s a rare bureaucrat who trusts
with the help of roll numbers. The marks a student attained teachers to practice professional autonomy in evaluation
remained a secret until the result was declared. It was a or in any other aspect of school life. Private school manag-
dramatic moment. Newspapers carried roll numbers of suc- ers are no better. They perceive evaluation as a controlling
cessful candidates and the ‘divisions’ they were placed in. device. Such a perception matches popular belief among
The long gap between the board exams and the day the parents. The government has decided to prescribe a dress
results were made public caused as much anxiety as the code for teachers. In addition, they are now permitted to
period preceding the exam. ‘Preparation leave’ before the add ‘Tr.’ before their name, just as doctors add ‘Dr.’ If titles
board exam was a common feature of colonial societies. No could impart dignity, teachers would enjoy it from now on-
classes were held during this period. Before exams started, wards — without the power to evaluate their own students!
students were stripped of access to the library. They had to Small wonder that many high-end private schools have
acquire a ‘no objection certificate’ from the library, science seceded from the system by opting for affiliation with inter-
labs and even the NCC officer-in-charge. It was necessary national boards. They appreciate teachers’ autonomy and
to obtain an entrance ticket for the exam hall. And when all encourage unobtrusive classroom-based evaluation. There
the ‘papers’ were over, the long wait for the result began. are schools where one can watch two systems functioning
No one could be sure about what might happen. Everyone under the same roof. The CBSE section prepares children
at home and the school shared the anxiety of examinees. for the exam routine while the IB (International Baccalau-
Readers must be wondering why I have used the past reate) section lets teachers manage elementary-level chil-
tense throughout the previous para. They would be right to dren’s assessment as part of teaching.
be curious about this usage because the fact is that the exam Several states had accepted this latter approach dur-
rituals I have described are intact and functional to this day. ing the RTE spring. It didn’t last long, and the clamour
And not just school exams, colleges and universities fol- for bringing the boards back got loud enough to engineer
low the norm of depriving students of library rights before legislative change. As soon as it came, all enthusiasm for
exams. It is an expression of institutional distrust in the reforming the system evaporated. And now, crude methods
young. It has an element of bureaucratic callousness as well. of teaching to prepare for tests and exams have received
The system forces teachers to adopt a hands-off attitude in new impetus in slogans like foundational literacy. The path
board exams season. Many among them do participate in of progress has proved to be a circular staircase — without
marking of answer sheets, but they do so as anonymous an upward slope.
entities, for a modest fee.
By deciding to reintroduce board exams for classes V (Dr. Krishna Kumar is honorary professor of education, Panjab University,
and VIII, the Karnataka government is pushing the system and a former Director of NCERT)

34 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2024