New Delhi: According to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, taking the class 10 and 12 board exams twice a year would not be required and is being offered as an option to help pupils cope with the stress brought on by the dread of missing out on a chance.
Board exams will be administered at least twice a year following the New Curriculum Framework (NCF), which the Ministry of Education unveiled in August. This initiative will give students ample time and opportunities to do well. Additionally, they will have the choice to keep the top grade.
When asked how the change will implement the new National Education Policy’s (NEP) call for “low stakes” board exams, Pradhan responded, “Students would have the option of appearing for the tests twice a year, just like engineering entrance exam JEE. They can select the highest score, but there will be no pressure.
“The students often get stressed thinking they lost a year, their chance is gone or that they could have performed better… the stress caused by the fear of single opportunity will be reduced.”
“Any student may decide not to take the following tests if he feels fully prepared and satisfied with his performance on the previous set of exams. Nothing will be required, he continued.
According to Pradhan, the skill development minister, the plan to hold board exams twice a year has gotten encouraging feedback from students.
“I discussed it with students after the NCF announcement. They acknowledged and approved of the concept. He said we are attempting to have the tests held twice a year beginning in 2024.
However, this is not the first time that board exams have been changed. The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), first implemented for class 10 in 2009 but discontinued in 2017, was replaced by the board’s previous system of year-end exams in 2018.
The minister responded, “It is a susceptible issue,” when asked about the record number of student suicides in Kota, Rajasthan, this year. No one should perish. They are our young people. Making sure the pupils are stress-free is our shared responsibility.
Every year, more than two lakh students shift to Kota to prepare for competitive tests like the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical school entrance and the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering.
The number of suicides among pupils in Kota this year was 23, a record for the nation’s coaching center. The amount was 15 the previous year.
According to Pradhan, the issue of “dummy schools” needs to be seriously discussed.
“The problem cannot be disregarded. However, the proportion of such students to all students could be better. The moment has arrived for thoughtful debate and discussion on the issue, he declared.
Many students who want to take the NEET or JEE enroll in schools in their home states before relocating to Kota to attend coaching sessions. They don’t participate in full-time schools but show up for the board exams.
Numerous experts have raised the topic of “dummy schools,” arguing that absence from school prevents pupils from developing personally and makes them feel anxious and alone.
When asked why there hadn’t been a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) in the previous three years, Pradhan responded, “CABE is being reconstituted.”
The requirements of today’s educational system are different, yet the earlier version of CABE was comprehensive. At the end, CABE will review what is being introduced now, be it new curriculum, new credit framework, accreditation, or any other reform,” he said.
The minister added that talks are ongoing with several other nations that have shown interest and that two IITs, Delhi and Madras, are in various phases of establishing their offshore campuses.
The Ministry of External Affairs coordinates it, and many configurations and solutions are being discussed. Minister (S) Jaishankar, in charge of external affairs, is investigating it.
He claimed that soon after being decided, the rules for foreign institutions setting up campuses in India would be announced.
“We’re going to change the paradigm. Therefore, we shall proceed after considering all options and resolving all uncertainties. The UGC will inform them shortly that the guidelines are being thought through.
