Students of Class 12, for whom the school-leaving exam was cancelled due to Covid-19, will likely have their results compiled taking into account their performance in three past examinations: the finals of Class 10 and 11, and their Class 12 pre-board tests. The final scores will be based on a 30-30-40 split, with the latest pre-board test accounting for 40% of the weight in the final tally, and the other two equally contributing to the remaining share.
This formula will apply to the theory component of the exam, which can be 70% or 80% of the total score, while the rest is based on their perofrmance in practicals as usual. Practical exams had been held for most before the second wave of the pandemic took hold and forced schools to be closed.
The 13-member committee constituted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to fix the criteria to evaluate Class 12 students did not submit its report as per schedule on Monday, said officials at both CBSE and ministry of education. The panel may take a few more days to finalise the details.
The Union government on June 1 cancelled the Class 12 exams in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and said CBSE would come up with “well-defined objective criteria” in a timebound manner to assess the students. On June 3, the Supreme Court gave CBSE two weeks to come up with an evaluation formula. Following that, the Board on June 4 formed the 13-member committee that was to submit its report in 10 days, on June 14.
The matter is likely to be heard on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}The matter is likely to be heard on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}A member of the committee explained the rationale behind the consensus about expanding the performance parameters to evaluate the students. “The panel has consulted centrally-run schools, including Navodaya Vidyalayas and the principals of other CBSE-affiliated schools, and observed that the entire academic year of this batch of Class 12 was held online and there was so much uncertainty. Classes were not held in a normal situation and assessment did not happen completely,” the member said on condition of anonymity.
The panel, therefore, found it unwise to assess students just on the basis of Class 12 performance. “In a crisis like this, it is important to go by the students’ performance in normal situations. Therefore, considering Class 10 performance is crucial. It is the most credible data available since it was conducted by the CBSE at examination centres and evaluated externally. Similarly, Class 11 exams of this batch in 2020 were also completed before the declaration of the lockdown. All these exams were held in a defined condition,” the member added.
The committee is in favour of giving more weightage to Class 12 pre-boards. “Overall, everyone is in favour of giving equal weightage to Class 10 and 11 performances (30% and 30%) and 40% to Class 12 pre-board marks. Some members still favour giving more weightage to Class 10 than Class 11,” the member said, adding that a consensus on this hasn’t been reached so a few more days will be needed to compile the report.
Some school principals expressed reservations about the plan to consider Class 10 and 11 marks. Tania Joshi, principal of the Indian School, New Delhi, said, “There are so many students who prepare for competitive exams and participate in co-curricular activities in Class 11 and don’t take the exams very seriously. Then there are students who couldn’t perform well in Class 10 and opted for humanities in Classes 11 and 12. It will be unfair with them,” Joshi said.
However, educationist Meeta Sengupta said it could be the best possible criteria in the present scenario. “No formula will be perfect, but this one is close. It includes both a range of performances and opportunities,” she said.
Another official familiar with the development also confirmed to HT that three components might be considered for theory marks that vary from subject to subject. While most of the subjects have 70-mark theory papers, some have 80. The remaining practical marks will be provided by the respective schools. Those who could not complete these exams have now been asked by CBSE to complete them in online mode.