CBSE Brings in Compulsory Test back for Class X Board Exam

The CBSE students, till date, has been given the choice of opting for a system of continuous and comprehensive assessment by the board. The board has now decided to bring back the system making the Class X board exams compulsory again. The matter came up through a discussion that took place in a meeting last week where the board members argued for bringing the pre-2011 system of compulsory board examinations for the betterment of students. With the prevailed system the public perception is so that they think the students are being assessed too liberally.

The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system of CBSE board has come into the limelight at the crucial time when many state governments are demanding for scrapping another education related change, which is the no detention policy till class VIII. In the last meeting of the board, the governing body member K.P. Gopalkrishna voices his opposition towards the continuous evaluation process of CBSE. He claimed that the students of Class IX and X are not serious about their studies and they are not feeling any pressure of appearing in the board examination. He further urged the 42 member body to take necessary action and decision regarding the same at the earliest. Although the issue was not part of the agenda of the meeting, it got widely discussed among the members in the meeting.

Before this system of school-based internal assessment prevailed in CBSE schools, the students had to opt for class X board examination necessarily. The CBSE schools now conduct four formative and two summative assessments of students is any academic year. The formative assessment carries 40 percent marks and includes co-scholastic evaluations through test and assignments, debates and projects. The summative assessment carries 60 percent of the marks and includes written tests in the subjects taught by the school. Like the conventional examination model, under the summative assessment the school prepares question papers on various subjects, evaluates the answer papers and sends the marks to the board.

According to Principal of Springdales Schools and a member of governing body Ameeta Mullah Wattal, “The public feels that a student would get a better deal if assessed by an outside agency, the board. My submission is that an aggressive board exam for 14-16 year olds is not in the interest of a child’s development and learning.” According to the Principal of DPS, RK Puram , D.R. Saini, “I think the board needs to assess 50 percent of the course content while schools should assess a student on half the course in class X. The board can issue the mark sheet combining both the scores.” He further added that if a school marks the students liberally and the students do not perform well in the board examination, the result would automatically reflect on their overall score. It seems impossible to take decision in this regard until and unless the HRD Minister is finalizing the National Education Policy, which is under consideration.