BENGALURU: Even as the SSLC and PU 2 Exam-1 are about to begin by the end of February, discussions and debates are going on among education experts and child rights activists whether the evaluators are bound by any rules while evaluating the exam papers.
With a view to prevent the mental and financial strain of opting for revaluation of papers in cases of unsatisfactory results and make it hassle-free for students and evaluators, experts have suggested that a “blind evaluation system” can be adopted.
The Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) provides students an option to apply for revaluation by paying a free if the students are not happy with their scores when the results are out. And every year, thousands of students apply for revaluation of SSLC and PU 2 exam papers citing various reasons.
Child Rights Trust Executive Director Vasudev Sharma said, “Earlier, there was a blind evaluation system for post-graduate exams where two different evaluators examined the papers and gave scores. The best score given the two examiners would be considered or given the benefit of doubt. I think it is better to implement the same again, so that the students don’t have to suffer or their parents have to be burdened with paying thousands of rupees in case it is more than one subject.”
Developmental educationist VP Niranjanaradhya said strict rules must be brought in place to govern evaluators to ensure that there are no discrepancies in the marks. “Every year, students suffer whenever evaluators provide them with wrong evaluations or marks. The KSEAB must bring in stricter rules for evaluators so that discrepancies in marks don’t arise,” he said.
There have been occasions when students were given low marks because the evaluator missed a sheet while totalling the marks. To avoid this, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) for class 12 exams. Under this system, answersheets will be scanned and evaluated digitally by examiners through a secure online platform. There will be no provision of manually checking the papers. This system is expected to bring key benefits, including accuracy in giving mark, reduced chances of incorrect totalling and transparency.
Double checking already in place
KSEAB Chairman Prakash Nittali told TNIE, “There is one deputy chief officer appointed for every six evaluators. Once the evaluator evaluates the exam paper, these officers again go through the paper. Besides, every evaluator is given an answer script that they refer to for elements while evaluating the paper. In case of students given full marks like 100 or closer, then the paper is checked by two other evaluators to validate the scoring.” Nittali added, “When students apply for revaluation and the discrepancies are found, then the evaluators are penalised and the revaluation fee is refunded to the students. For PU students, even if there is a difference of one mark, the fee is refunded, whereas for SSLC, it is six marks.”