Noida students, parents share mixed feelings about return of board exams

Board exams will again be made compulsory for class 10 students from the next academic year

Parents and students in the city have expressed mixed feelings about the scrapping of the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) marking system for class 10 students. The system will be replaced by compulsory board exams from the next academic year.

Some feel bringing back the old system would increase the burden on children. (Representative Photo/PTI)

On Saturday afternoon, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results of the class 10 exams. This year, 7,81,463 students appeared in CBSE’s school-based exam and 8,86,506 students took the board-based exam. However, this is the last time that they will have the option to choose. The option had been introduced by the Union ministry of human resource development in the academic year 2010-11.

While many parents and students were happy that the CGPA system will be abolished, others felt that bringing back the old system would increase burden their children.

“I think the CGPA system is unfair to students who score high because anyone who scores above 95% gets a 10 CGPA. With the percentage system for all CBSE schools, it will be easier for students to decide their goals,” said Anand Sachar, a Delhi resident whose son studies in Delhi Public School in Sector 30.

“I believe a percentage system is better for students as there is a clear breakdown of marks. Students can then focus on subjects such as mathematics and science. A collective marking system won’t help anyone,” said Abhay Dayal Mathur, a class 10 student of DPS, Sector 30.

However, some felt the percentage system would put unnecessary stress on teenage students.

“With CGPA, the concept of toppers was gone as there was no ranking system. Now, there will be pressure on 16-year-olds to score above 95%, engage in an unhealthy race and perform above expectations. All this will take a toll on the their minds and bodies,” said Harkishen Singh, a Sector 25 resident.

Renu Singh, Noida co-ordinator of CBSE, said that with the scrapping of the CGPA system, the onus will fall on students to focus on main subjects.

“Till this year, students had the benefit of adding extra-curricular marks to their CGPA, which got many of them high grades. But from next year, the onus will fall on the main subjects that the students have to study properly to score a high percentage,” she said.