The Union Ministry of Education (MoE) on Wednesday, August 23, announced the launch of the new curriculum framework for students to match with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The new framework has introduced several changes to school education in India. One such major change that will soon be introduced is that Board examinations will now be held twice a year and the students will be allowed to retain their best score out of the two, MoE announced on Wednesday.
This new development has attracted mixed reactions from parents and activists. While a few believe that the new changes would provide flexibility to students’ schedules, others believe that another exam would only add to mental pressure for children.
Implementation matters
Advocate-Activist Anubha Sahai, President of India Wide Parents Association, opined that the NCF’s success would only be determined by how the government chooses to implement it.
“The Centre experimented with the ‘two boards’ idea during the pandemic. It led to confusion when the government decided to give a 30:70 weightage to both terms instead of 50:50. This time, it depends on how this theory is implemented. The board can let the students retain the best of the two scores or offer an option to the students if they want to sit for two exams or not,” Sahai explained.
Sahai stated that while providing options and flexibility to the students is a good initiative, the two-board exam pattern might interfere with various entrance examinations.
“There are a number of mock tests, pre-Board exams and practical exams that schools conduct before the Boards and then, there are entrance exams for university admissions. There should be a way to ensure that these exams do not clash so students can focus on their Board exam preparation. For this, the UGC (University Grants Commission) should intervene and prepare a common calendar for all entrance exams. This is especially important for state Board students as their syllabus is slightly different,” Sahai further expressed.
Might add to mental pressure
The NCF states that board examinations should be offered at least twice a year to ensure that students have enough time and opportunity to perform well.
Students can then appear for a Board examination in subjects they have completed and feel ready for.
“Most students and parents are concerned that this would create extra pressure on families and students. Boards always mean stressful times for the students and they want to get done with the process at the earliest. Most people, parents, even teachers, I had a conversation with, were not very keen on having boards twice a year,” explained Pradeep Rawat, President of Gurgaon Parents Association.
The parents added that these changes should be discussed with all stakeholders including students and parents before implementation.
“A welcome change”
On the other hand, a few parents are of the opinion that giving students an option to appear for the subjects of their choice when they are ready will create a positive learning environment in schools.
Mohamed Shakeel, President, Voice of Parents Association, Karnataka, expressed, “I think this is good, students can take a few subjects in the first round and few in the second. Another added benefit is that if the students feel that they need one more attempt with regard to a certain subject, they can make the most of the second attempt and get the best marks. This is a good initiative. Parents are waiting to see the shift from memorising or rote learning and how it will be implemented.”
The NCF also directs schools to make preparations for having “on-demand” Board exams in the near future as described in NEP 2020. Moreover, the new curriculum also stated that Class XI and XII students will need to study two languages, of which, at least one language must be an Indian language.
