HYDERABAD: Lack of clarity by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) about the dates of Class XII examination is making CBSE schools jittery. Last year, CBSE had announced that the Class XII exams would begin in February from the 2019-20 academic year. However, since then there has been no further communication by the board in this regard, leaving schools principals on tenterhooks to figure out the logistics.
Though the Board examinations commence in March, school principals said that in case the exam dates are advanced, they will have to ensure that the course is completed well in advance so that students get ample time to revise. Schools are worried that if the exams commence in mid-February they will not have to complete the syllabus in time to be able to conduct the internal assessment and pre-board examination. “We are concerned about completing the syllabus, taking internal tests and pre-boards and ensure that the students get time for self-study too,” principal of a CBSE school in Hyderabad, said.
Further delay in the announcement of examination schedule is likely to throw the schools into disarray and create confusion among the students too. Anjali Razdan, director (education) of Kairos Global School, said that advancing the dates of examination will not have any significant impact since admissions will begin only in June. “I don’t think it is good because it is reducing the time for self-study for students. Further, with dates not being declared, it’s also causing confusion among students,” she said.
The CBSE schools don’t have clarity about the venue and dates of the practicals of Class XII. While it has been said that practical examination will be conducted at allotted centres, schools are bothered about the logistics. In a recent circular, CBSE has also mentioned that the attendance for the 2019-20 academic year (for Class XII) would be calculated only till December 31.
Schools are now left to figure out if students would not be asked to come to school from January 1, 2020. Despite a slew of reforms proposed by the Board for the exams, experts are of the view that unless specific instructions were given, they may end up creating panic among all stakeholders.