Equivalence of marks key criterion for Maharashtra board decision

The decision to cancel Class 10 exams of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has pushed the Maharashtra government to examine the feasibility of a similar measure to ensure equivalence in the scores of students passing the exams

The decision to cancel Class 10 exams of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has pushed the Maharashtra government to examine the feasibility of a similar measure to ensure equivalence in the scores of students passing the exams.

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On Wednesday, CBSE cancelled Class 10 exams and postponed Class 12 exams across the country this year in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases. Students of Class 10 will be marked on an objective criterion to be developed by the board, which is yet to be declared.

On April 12, the state government postponed HSC exams (Class 12) to May end and SSC exams (Class 10) to June.

However, following CBSE’s decision and a similar decision expected from ICSE and IGCSE, experts said it has become imperative for the state board to consider similar options. The need for equivalence becomes important especially in Mumbai where a large number of students across boards compete for a few coveted junior colleges leading to fierce competition for admission to Class 11. While there are more seats than applicants every year, top scorers set their eyes on a handful of sought-after junior colleges in the city.

There have also been several instances in the past where concerns have been raised about state board students lagging behind their counterparts from the other boards as the latter have a more flexible and liberal marking style.

“Students of the state board cannot be made to write exams when their counterparts from the other boards are at home, being evaluated based on their internal assessments. Similarly, to ensure that state board students do not lie at a disadvantage in admissions post Class 10, care needs to be taken to ensure that the board adopts a similar marking criterion as other national boards,” said an expert working with the state board on the issue.

Jaywant Kulkarni, a teacher from Gandhi Bal Mandir High School in Kurla said considering the current scenario, the conduct of physical exams seems next to impossible. “In such a scenario, the government should announce that it will score students based on internal assessments as soon as possible so that schools can start preparing for the same. Under the current circumstances, school teachers who have seen the student for at least two-three years will be the best judges to assess their overall performance,” he added.

Experts are worried that CBSE’s decision might just push boards into adopting a similar step which might have negative consequences on the overall learning outcomes of students.

“State board students have prepared for exams for the whole year and now suddenly if they are told that the marking criteria are changed, there might be a lot of anxiety and confusion. The government needs to strike a right balance between equivalence and assessing the child’s performance in the best possible way at the moment. While physical exams seemed like an ideal way to do that even if they are postponed, CBSE’s decision might push boards towards considering internal assessments,” said Basanti Roy, former secretary of the Mumbai divisional board.

BOX

Some solutions the state board has come up with in the last few years to bring about a level playing field for state board students vis-a-vis other boards

-Best of 5 scores where the highest scoring five subjects of the six are considered for calculating overall scores of students

-Oral exams- For every 100 marks exam, 20 marks are set aside for internal assessments such as orals and practicals

-Bonus marks for arts and sports Students get between 3 and 25 bonus marks for excelling in areas such as sports, drawing and different performing arts