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Education News

DELHI for undergraduate colleges with
Beneficial examinations reform admission cut-offs in several Delhi

colleges set at 100 percent.
Nevertheless, academics have
welcomed the two-exam initiative of
CBSE. “Evaluating students on the
outcomes of two term exams is bet-
ter than judging them on the basis
of one all-important exam. It will
encourage them to study through
the year and will reduce final exam
stress and anxiety. CBSE has already
pruned the 2021-22 syllabus by 30
percent and children get two chances
in school-leaving exams. I am sure
once it becomes the norm, students
will prefer the new format,” says Dr.
Sudha Acharya, principal of ITL
School, Delhi and chairperson of the
National Progressive Schools’ Con-
ference, an association of 195 private
CBSE-affiliated schools.
CBSE HQ in Delhi: two exams solution Certainly, CBSE’s adoption of the
two-semester board exams system
OLLOWING HEAVY CRITICISM FROM XII school-leaving exam system, for school-leavers is a radical depar-
Supreme Court for not hav- which is also likely to be followed by ture from past practice of the do-
Fing devised an alternative the country’s 31 state examination or-die final exam and is a half-way
examination system for the pan- boards, is the outcome of widespread house of the continuous and com-
demic academic year 2020-21 after outrage that board exams scheduled prehensive evaluation (CCE) system
board examinations were cancelled to be held in April 2021 were repeat- favoured by most intelligent educa-
in the wake of the second wave edly cancelled for fear of spread of tors and the report of the K. Kasturi-
(March-June 2021) of the Covid-19 Covid infection in crowded exam rangan Committee (2018) on which
pandemic, the Central Board of halls, and finally not held at all. On the National Education Policy (NEP)
Secondary Education (CBSE) has June 1, prime minister Narendra 2020 is based. Moreover, it is likely
initiated major examination reforms Modi announced cancellation of the to influence the 33 state examination
for the academic year 2021-22. It has CBSE class XII exams of 2020-21. boards to follow its example. As a
decreed two terminal exams for class Subsequently, hearing a writ peti- result preparing for class X and XII
X and XII school leavers in lieu of tion Meeta S harma vs. CBS E & O rs school-leaving exams is certain to
single annual examinations. (Civil) Nos. 522/2021) on June 17, become less stressful for millions of
Under the new examination sys- the Supreme Court accepted an as- senior school students countrywide.
tem of CBSE — the country’s largest sessment formula devised by CBSE. Last year (2020-21), over 3.35
national examination board with As per the formula, students were million class X and XII students
24,240 affiliated schools — the first assessed on the basis of marks ob- registered for CBSE board exams
terminal exam that will test students tained in pre-board exams conducted and the gap between CBSE which
for 50 percent of prescribed syllabus, by affiliated schools (maximum 40 has 16,700 independent (i.e, private
will be held between November 30 marks), half-yearly mid-term exams unaided) schools affiliated with
and December 11. Exam papers will (30 marks) and periodic units (10 it and CISCE (Council for Indian
be in MCQ (multiple choice ques- marks) subject to “moderation” by School Certificate Examinations), its
tions) format. The second-term exam the board. However, the fallout of rival national exams board, which
scheduled for March-April 2022 the board not conducting exams and has 2,639 affiliated schools, is widen-
will be of the traditional subjective/ students certified on the basis of ing. “There’s no doubt that in recent
objective type question papers with marks awarded by schools them- years CBSE has transformed into
students given two hours to write selves, has been raging grades infla- a highly innovative board that is
each subject exam. tion in the pandemic academic year constantly upgrading its syllabus by
The new bifurcated classes X and 2020-21. This has posed problems internationalising it, introducing vo-

20 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2021