VIJAYAWADA: After a decade, the mark system will be reintroduced for Class X examinations in the State, in place of grades. The Director of School Education had submitted a proposal awarding marks instead of grades to the government citing that several students have been facing difficulties during admissions as a large number of students are securing similar grades.
However, the government will not announce the ranks of students and take stringent action against those schools who do so. The marks system in the SSC examination was replaced with the grading system in 2011.
Though the government announced the marks system from the 2021-2022 academic year, the sources said it is likely to be a temporary decision as the government is planning to implement CBSE syllabus, which follows the grading system, across the State.
The School Education department issued GO Ms 55 on August 27, 2021, to follow the marks system in SSC examinations from March 2020, duly dispensing with the grading system. However, due to the Covid pandemic, the SSC examinations in 2019-20 and 2020-21 were cancelled. Now, the government decided to implement the same from the 2021-22 academic year.
During the COVID pandemic, the school education department changed the examination pattern of Class X students in the 2021-22 academic year. The department was not able to conduct 4 Formative Assessment (FA) tests and 2 Summative Assessment (SA) tests. So, it conducted the Class X exams only for seven papers for 600 marks instead of 11 papers.
According to the teacher's associations, this is one of the reasons for the government switching to the marks system. On the other hand, the grading system has become an obstacle for students while they apply for national competitive exams and admissions into higher classes.
Director of Government Examinations D Devananda Reddy said only marks will be announced from this academic year. He made it clear that if any school announces ranks of the students, stringent action will be taken against them.
Those schools which announce the ranks shall face imprisonment not less than three years and up to seven years with a fine not less than Rs 5,000 and up to Rs 1,00,000.
Order on 'no-ranks' out
The government issued G.O.RE.No.83 on June 1, 2022, to prohibit declaration of ranks of the SSC students as per the 7A of (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair Means) Act 1997 as the Directorate of government examinations (or SSC Board) is not assigning any ranks to the students.
The Private Schools’ Association welcomed the marks system as well as punishment for announcing ranks. State president of the Noble Teachers Association Mukala Appa Rao said there is nothing wrong in announcing ranks.