In an effort to provide students with a more flexible approach, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), early this week, introduced bi-annual board exams. As a result, starting of the academic year 2024–25, students in grades 10th and 12th, will be allowed board exams twice, however, it has not been made mandatory, like the original system. Industry experts believe that while for students in grade 10th this process will allow them to prepare in a better manner, for grade 12th students this may lead to additional duress. “ For weak students, this mechanism will allow them to buy more time to prepare well. As for a larger scale, this process will allow students in grade 10th who appear for boards for the first time to prepare in a better manner, as they will get a hang of things. But for grade 12th students, there is a possibility that it may lead to extra stress, because the completion of the topics within the timeframe will remain a challenge for the teachers,” Naman Jain, director, Silverline Prestige School, Ghaziabad, told FE Education.

Moreover, academicians believe that the new system allows a chance for students to better their scores. “The introduction of bi-annual board exams by CBSE can help students in many ways. For example, it allows students to explore subjects, multiple academic choices, a second chance to score higher marks and improved decision making,” Silpi Sahoo, chairperson, SAI International Education Group, added.

To be sure, the new system is a part of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023, thereby part of the National Education Policy 2020. As per the framework, the objective of the system is to alleviate the stress experienced by students typically concerned about missing a singular opportunity. If a candidate feels adequately prepared and content with the results of one set of exams, she has the option to abstain from appearing in the subsequent examination. However, this also means that schools have to prepare to conduct these examinations. Schools are yet to be notified. “With the pivotal decision to adopt the biannual board examination system, I expect the CBSE board to introduce a series of measures to support schools in ensuring a smooth implementation process. Recognising the significance of this transition, the training of educators and heightened awareness about the evolving examination pattern will be required,” Siddharth Rajgarhia, chief learner and director, Delhi Public School (DPS), said.

Furthermore, school representatives indicate that holding board exams twice can significantly increase the burden on teachers and staff. “This shift undoubtedly adds to the workload of schools and teachers. More exams translate to more planning, conducting, and marking. To ease this burden, the board should provide additional resources, training programmes and streamlined assessment processes,” Rohan Rai, co-founder, Edupull, said.

Moreover, experts fear that it can also affect the quality of teaching and learning in other grades as invigilation during exams and assessment of papers requires more time. “Conducting board exams twice a year would add to the load on the school management, teachers and staff. Firstly, school teachers would have to take time to invigilate during board exams and also perform copy correction duties. Schools that are centres for board exams would have to allocate resources and infrastructure twice a year. Doing this would be a challenge, but all good things require hard work and continuous learning to come true. Neeta Bali, Director Schools, Seth Anandram Jaipuria Group of Schools, said.

To implement this decision, experts believe that schools will require technical as well as training support, and the government would have to be ready to prepare schools for the implementation of this decision. “Schools would themselves have to be active and receptive enough to navigate the challenges and plan on seeking guidance from educational authorities,” Ajay Gupta, founder, Bachpan play schools and AHPS schools and co-founder, Rishihood University, said.

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Published on:- January 24th, 2024
Published By:- Financial Express
Link:- https://www.financialexpress.com/jobs-career/education-how-cbse-dual-exams-for-grades-10th-and-12th-are-expected-to-benefit-students-but-not-schoolsnbsp-3373376/