Class 10 board exams might be back as CBSE reviews student evaluation systems

Seven years after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) implemented the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in its affiliated schools, the board is now reviewing the system and the optional Class 10 board exams.

Seven years after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) implemented the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in its affiliated schools, the board is now reviewing the system and the optional Class 10 board exams.

The CBSE had made class 10 board exams optional when it implemented the Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation system seven years ago.(Representative Photo/Kunal Patil/ HT)

CBSE chairperson RK Chaturvedi said the board wished to address the problems being pointed out in the CCE system, such as it having the more than 100 parameters, and many of them being vague.

“Majority wants a rationalisation and removal of redundant elements in CCE. For Class 10 board, most people say dual exam system is confusing and want a single system. Review is in place and the issues will be addressed,” he said.

Many schools have welcomed the move and said that while CCE is a “great system” in theory, the implementation has “practical constraints”.

Read | CBSE to scrap re-evaluation of Class 12 answer sheets from next year

Reducing exam stress

Unlike earlier when one written board exam at the end of year decided the merit of student, the CCE evaluates students throughout the year based on activities and exams, and weightage is given to both.

Teachers say this has helped reduce stress but also made students lax in their attitude.

“A student with 90% and another with 95% will be in the same grade. There is no motivation to work hard. Students know they will pass the exam even if they don’t do well in written exam,” said Chitra Nakra, principal Veda Vyas DAV Public School.

Another teacher said, “But when they come in Class 11, it becomes a problem as they are faced with the marks system. ”

Record keeping

Teachers say a major chunk of their time is spent in maintaining files in which they keep the records of each student.

“If we do one activity like a play, we give remarks on various parameters such as originality of thought, presentation, and confidence. Many such activities are done so imagine the amount of paper work teachers have to do,” said Jyoti Arora, principal Mount Abu Public School, Delhi.

Ashok Pandey, principal Ahlcon International School, said, “There are many vague parameters like a student’s attitude towards school... There is no set way to make remarks about these things.”

Individual attention

Teachers are expected to make daily remarks about each student’s development in academics, activities and behaviour. But schools say it is only possible when number of students is less than 40 in each class.

“Even schools which maintain student-teacher ratio as per Right to Education (RTE) Act, it is a challenge to give individual attention,” said Priyanka Gulati, principal Evergreen Senior Secondary School, Vasundhara Enclave.