The Union human resource development (HRD) ministry has decided to push to begin the process of evaluation of Class 10 and 12 answer sheets of millions of students who appeared in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations this year, a senior official said after a key meeting of the ministry on Tuesday.
In his meeting with state education ministers on Tuesday, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ told the states to facilitate the CBSE in evaluating answer sheets, the official quoted above added. The evaluation process is in limbo because of the ongoing national lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19, but the fate of roughly 30 lakh students depend on it.
“The matter has been discussed in meetings between HRD and CBSE officials and the attempt is to begin the process of evaluation of answer sheets at the earliest. In the evaluation process, different examiners often get together in one building where answersheets are evaluated. A protocol of social distancing in this regard can be prepared,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Class 10 exams are largely over, barring some areas in north-east Delhi hit by communal violence in March, and all that needs to be done is evaluation. A majority of Class 12 exams are also over and if evaluation begins, the results can be declared in June itself, the official added. But no final decision has been taken about the remaining Class 12 examinations – around 12 main subjects – the official said. The CBSE will have to wait till the required permissions are granted, the official added.
{{/usCountry}}Class 10 exams are largely over, barring some areas in north-east Delhi hit by communal violence in March, and all that needs to be done is evaluation. A majority of Class 12 exams are also over and if evaluation begins, the results can be declared in June itself, the official added. But no final decision has been taken about the remaining Class 12 examinations – around 12 main subjects – the official said. The CBSE will have to wait till the required permissions are granted, the official added.
{{/usCountry}}A separate meeting of the University Grants Commission on Tuesday took up the recommendations of a high-level committee appointed to draft an academic calendar for the Covid-19 hit 2020-21 academic session.
A second senior official said the committee’s recommended that universities follow a six-day weekly pattern instead of a five-day week and consider the lockdown period as deemed attendance by students so that nobody is disqualified because of attendance shortage.
The panel also recommended the month of June as summer vacation period and suggested declaration of result by mid-August so that the session could commence. However, this will would upon the circumstances of the universities, the second official added.
The committee, chaired by professor RC Kuhad, former member of the UGC and vice-chancellor, Central University of Haryana, also gave universities the option of open-book assessment or objective-type-question based test to conduct the final exams of the present session. They can shorten the exam duration from three to two hours based on the need, the second official said.
The panel also suggested that students be allowed to reappear in exams if they want to improve their grades. Universities have been asked to follow social distancing norms and a common admission test for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Significantly, the panel felt that many varsities did not have adequate resources to impart e-learning.
At the UGC meeting on Tuesday, officials felt more suggestion needed to be incorporated and the report may be made public after more deliberation. However, the second official said that the commission decided not make the suggestions binding in nature.
In the HRD ministry meeting, Nishank said a decision had been taken to provide mid-day meal during summer holidays of schools, on which an additional expenditure of about Rs 1600 crores will be made. In addition, under the mid-day meal Scheme, an ad-hoc grant of Rs 2,500 crore was being issued for the first quarter.
To augment the mid-day meal programme, the minister announced that in wake of Covid-19, the annual central allocation of cooking cost (for procurement of pulses, vegetable, oil, spices and fuel) will be enhanced to Rs. 8,100 crore from Rs 7,300 crore. Officials said another meeting could be held with states on issues related to higher education