No class X Boards from 2011: Sibal

New Delhi, July 20: As a part of its education reforms, the UPA government on Monday declared that Board exams would be scrapped across the nation from 2011 under the National Curriculum Framework.

“We have a system under which students are not subject to any evaluation of this level till 14 years, though some states have class five and class eight board exams. These will also be scrapped from the next year,” Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told Zee News here on Monday.

Sibal added that the government will evolve a system where there would be continuous comprehensive evaluation of the child based on a grading system.

Earlier, Sibal had said that government intends to abolish Class X Board examinations to lessen the “trauma” on young students.

“We must detraumatise students who sometimes commit suicide,” Sibal had said, emphasising the need for change in the system of marking.

Admitting that the biggest challenge the country faces at present is providing quality education to the young, he had said that “We will introduce a single board examination with consensus so that children can give one exam and decide which school or university they want to go.

Acting of the cue by Government the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) too had proposed to make the Class-X board exam optional and allow internal assessment in which the pattern of questions would be similar to those in the board exam.

To ensure that the quality of education is not affected, the CBSE had said it would ask the schools to complete the required course of study of Class-IX and X as per the Board’s scheme of studies and follow prescribed textbooks.

–Agencies–