The centre on June 1 announced the cancellation of CBSE class 12 board exams because of the pandemic. The policy directive is expected to reach the schools by next week.
Here is what the principal of one of the leading schools in Delhi has to say about the decision. Excerpts:
Q) What is your take on the cancellation of CBSE class 12 board exams?
The decision to cancel board exams must have been really well-thought out, and taken after a lot of deliberations by the senior, experienced officials keeping in view the complete situation pan India. Hence, we must accept and appreciate the step taken. The interest of a large number of students from diverse backgrounds, would have been an important point in this decision as India is a vast country which has a lot of disparity in terms of school infrastructure at multiple levels. I salute the call of the government in upholding the safety of all associated stakeholders in the Covid crisis. However, the humongous challenge of computing a dependable result will need to be met now.
Q) What would be the best-possible criteria for the students?
In the absence of written exams, it will be a very tough call to reach a foolproof fair and objective criteria for evaluation. But I am sure all possible efforts would be made to incorporate the child’s performance in the year-long assessments of not just class 12, but also of class 11th. Maybe, some weightage could be assigned to class 10th overall aggregate percentage.
Q) What is the road ahead for the students?
The road ahead for the students is not devoid of challenges. They must shift their focus on their college applications, short listing the courses, locations and other priorities. They should also continue to prepare for all entrance examinations which the individual institutions may decide to take at a short notice. Relieved from the pressure of taking the board examination at an unforeseen date, this time should be devoted to removing learning gaps if any. This would not only help them in the admission to colleges but also prepare them for the courses they would undertake in future. Doing add-on courses, learning new skills, building up a holistic personal profile could also be on students’ to-do list.
Q) What will be the impact of delayed results on students, especially the ones applying for foreign universities?
Now that the examinations have been called off, there is a very little likelihood of results being delayed. In fact, the result declaration is high on priority for the CBSE and other boards as everyone realises its impact on the admissions in India and abroad. Declaration of result in July would certainly be not late for admissions. Infact, the negative impact of delayed examinations has been minimized by their cancellation.
Q) Have you received any intimation from the department of education on the formula for assessment?
All schools under the CBSE have received very clear-cut directives regarding the evaluation process for computing class 10th result. Most schools are working towards its finalization. However, for class 12th, since the announcement was just made yesterday, the policy directive can be expected to reach the schools by next week.
