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CBSE should have cancelled Class 12 exams before Supreme Court’s intervention: Sisodia
New Delhi Hours after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the alternative assessment policy for Class 12 students on Thursday, Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia said the Centre should not have waited for the Supreme Court’s intervention to cancel the Class 12 board exams
New Delhi Hours after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the alternative assessment policy for Class 12 students on Thursday, Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia said the Centre should not have waited for the Supreme Court’s intervention to cancel the Class 12 board exams. He also urged the Centre to start working on the criteria to assess students next year.
The CBSE on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it will evaluate Class 12 students based on a formula giving 30% weightage each to results of classes 10 and 11, and 40% to Class 12 pre-board exams. Last week, Sisodia wrote to the Union education ministry suggesting a similar formula.
In a statement issued by his office on Thursday, Sisodia said, “The decision to cancel the board exams was a welcome one, keeping in mind the safety and security of our 1.5 crore Class 12 students. The evaluation criteria which we had suggested, looking at the performance of students in classes 10, 11 and 12 has been taken into account. We should have considered cancelling the board exams a long time back, instead of waiting for the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter. It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court and the state governments had to intervene and protest to cancel the board exams. If our central government had adopted a more humane approach and heard the plea of our students, we could have managed the situation better. Nevertheless, I am happy that this decision was finally taken in the interest of our students.”
Stressing on the need to adopt similar or improved criteria for next year, Sisodia said, “While we have made detailed evaluation criteria for this year’s board exams owing to these unprecedented conditions, similarly, we have to look at developing criteria for assessing students in the board classes next year. We cannot think that normal conditions will prevail anytime soon.”
“To avoid another situation next year, where we have to rush and take decisions with regard to conduct of the board exams, we should already start developing a plan taking into account online exams and the modalities to conduct assessments and projects if schools have to open partially,” he added.
The education minister said that he hopes the Centre is also preparing alternatives for entrance exams as well. “College admissions will be conducted based on the mark sheets of students at the end of July, put together by the CBSE. As far as the entrance examinations are concerned, I am sure certain alternatives will be prepared for them,” he said.
