HYDERABAD: CBSE is mulling making Board Examinations easier to pass. Currently, students have to score a minimum 33 per cent in theory and 33 per cent in internal assessments to pass Class X. As per the new proposal, this will be revised to an overall pass percentage of 33 for theory and internals combined. The move, if implemented, is likely to be a major relief for students.
Earlier, in February this year, the Board issued this as a ‘one-time relaxation’ measure for students taking mandatory exams for the first time after eight years. A formal communication has not been sent but school principals Express spoke to said it’s only a matter of time before the notification is sent out. Academicians, however, are not too happy with the proposal.
Vasireddy Amarnath, principal of Slate The School says the proposal looks good only on paper. “Unlike the CCE, the memory-based examination itself promotes rote learning,” he says. “At a time when countries like Singapore are scrapping comparative examinations, we are reintroducing them,” he says. Vasireddy says reducing the pass percentage will not improve the quality of education. Others say the move will in no way reduce the stress and academic burden on students. Also, experts say that high competition is pushing children to score high marks rather than focus on pass percentage.
“The good thing about this is that if kids happen to miss the internal assessment due to health reasons of emergencies, they can still make up for it in the final examination,” said Meghna Gaddam, a teacher. The experts, meanwhile, lauded the move to conduct the Board Examination in two legs -- vocational subjects by February end and other subjects in March.