New Delhi, September 01: It is a move that promises to revolutionise the school education system in India.
Class 10 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams will now be optional. The CBSE class 10 board exams have been made optional from next year with Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal’s long promised education reforms finally taking off.
“The consensus that we have reached is historic. The states said that they were ready to move ahead together,” said Sibal after meeting the states’ education ministers in New Delhi on Monday.
In the new system marks are to be replaced by grades that will be awarded after a continuous and comprehensive evolution over the academic year.
The grading system is aimed at reducing pressure on students. But if the students choose to skip the class 10 exams, they have to take their Class 12 board exams from the same school.
Many parents and teachers have welcomed the grading system.
“A much awaited change has come. Change will be questioned initially. The modalities are being done with a lot of care. There is nothing better than a comprehensive and continuous evaluation,” Modern School Principal Lata Vaidyanathan said.
“There is too much commercialisation because of hype around 10th. More than 90 per cent of children go for tuitions and that is an additional cost to regular fees,” said a parent.
But there are many who fear internal exams are going to be tougher than board exams.
“I prefer giving boards now because they are more scoring than internal exams,” a group of students said in unison.
Within the next three-four days the CBSE will release more details about the grading system. Other state boards are yet to accept the CBSE grading system.
But how the system will work will also know when it is put to test next year.
—Agencies