NEW DELHI: The surge in Covid cases has left school managements concerned about Term 2 exams. Not only are the remote classes not ideal for the exams, but there is also uncertainty whether the Term 2 examinations can be held at all when there is another pandemic wave in the making.
School principals now feel that the Central Board of Secondary Education might have to find a new method of assessment if the Term 2 exam cannot be held. Only last year, with Class X and XII board exams disrupted by Covid, CBSE devised a new mechanism for assessment in which the academic year was divided into two terms and two exams and the syllabus accordingly divided. The Term 1 exams were held in December, the results of which are yet to be declared.
Tania Joshi, principal, The Indian School, said, “Online classes cannot be a substitute for in-person classes. Whatever it is, the students must be given time for revision and self-learning before the exams. The course has been reduced, so completing it will not be a problem, but how will Class X and XII students write exams without having attended physical classes?”
There is also worry that in case Term 2 exams cannot be held, the students will be assessed on their Term 1 results. “There have been issues with the Term 1 examinations. How fair that will be is a thing to think about,” said Joshi.
When the Term1 examination was held, there were problems and the board even had to withdraw some questions and allot full marks to students for those. CBSE also had to constitute a committee to look into the anomalies that cropped up. Mid-way, the board also changed its rules and asked the schools not to evaluate the papers themselves. While the Term 1 examination had multiple-choice questions, the Term 2 exams will require subjective, essay-type answers.
Jyoti Arora, principal, Mount Abu Public School, Rohini, said the situation was unpredictable for CBSE to decide on anything but this would also make things challenging for the students. “The board is yet to notify the exam schedule,” she said. “In my understanding, if the Term 2 exams cannot be held, the students should be given some multidisciplinary projects or assessments that will help us rate their real learning.”
Arora is also of the view that due to this amorphous situation, CBSE might not release the results of the Term1 exams. “In case the Term 2 exams cannot be held, the board will have to devise some formula or method to arrive at the final results,” she said.
Like all angst-ridden students, Kanishka Roy, a Class XII science student, said, “If the school closure continues, I don’t know what will happen to the practical classes we have to undertake. The education board cannot expect us also to write a physical exam after having attended just online classes.”
