Amidst various assumptions regarding the conduction of the 10th and 12th examinations either to be in the written or in the online mode, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday issued a statement affirming that the exams will be held in the ongoing pattern. “The exams, as and when they are being conducted will be in the written mode and not in an online mode. The board exams will be conducted following all COVID protocols,” the board statement declared.
However, the schedule and procedure of the exams have not been finalized yet. “No final decision has been taken regarding the dates for the conduction of board exams, and consultations with stakeholders are still in process,” as per a statement by CBSE. In case students are not able to do practical assessments in classes before the exams, alternatives to practical exams will have to be explored, it mentioned.
Meanwhile, CBSE will introduce application-based questions in class 12 board exams from 2021. “There will be more case-study based questions wherein a paragraph will be given to students and they will have to answer questions after reading the paragraph. This will assess students on their reading, understanding, interpretation, and answer writing abilities and move away from the rot learning,” said Joseph Emmanuel, director, academics at CBSE These questions were limited to one-markers earlier, but now they can also translate into short or long questions. The CBSE has already released sample papers based on the new format. Emmanuel said, “This is a small step towards the vision of NEP. The real change will come when teachers will start teaching based on skill-oriented education and not marks oriented or exam-oriented studies.”
In the previous academic year, the board exams, which had to be postponed mid-way, were later cancelled and the results were announced on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme. There have been demands for postponement of board exams to May in view of the continued closure of schools and teaching-learning activities being completely online.
