Sibal for one board, no Xth exams

100-Day Plan Seeks To Replace Marks With Grades

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Seeking to bring back some joy to childhood and to high school,Kapil Sibal’s first act as HRD minister has won the hearts of millions of kids across the country—not to mention their parents—crushed under exam stress. As the cornerstone of a larger revamp plan, Sibal on Thursday proposed making the class X board exam optional in CBSE-affiliated schools, if possible from next year itself.

The radical overhaul of the education system also envisages replacing marks with grades, establishing an overarching higher education authority under a one-nation,one-board principle and bringing in a tough law to prevent,prohibit and punish educational malpractices. Academic reforms, including a semester system and credit transfers will begin to be rolled out in the next 100 days.

“Sleepless nights over the Class X examination are not needed. We will reform it and make the Class X examination optional. We should not traumatise education. It is unacceptable,’’ Sibal told TOI after announcing a 100-day schedule to roll out an ambitious reforms package. He acknowledged that the move to make Class X board exams optional could encounter some resistance from state governments and other quarters, but was hopeful of getting round the hurdles by negotiating with them. “We will consult everyone,’’ he said.

New Course For EDUCATION
IN SCHOOLS Proposal: Make Class X exams optional, thus permitting students continuing in same school (and who do not need a board certificate) to take an internal school assessment instead Feasibility:

Great step forward. But state govts have resisted it since 2005 when it was made part of National Curriculum Framework. Also, schools today allocate streams in Class XI based on Class X marks. Whether a board exam or an internal assessment, how will it ease stress on the child? Also, what about schools which are only till Class X?

P: Introduce a system replacing marks by grades in schools affiliated to CBSE for secondary classes, ie IX and X
F: High time it was done. CBSE has been resisting it. But uniformity is needed across all state school boards

P: Enact the Children’s Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill
F: The bill is in Rajya Sabha and will certainly become law in the Budget session

IN HIGHER STUDIES

Proposal: An autonomous authority for higher education & research, based on Yashpal committee and National Knowledge Commission reports
Feasibility: With UGC having failed, there is growing demand for such a body. But ministries like health, agriculture and others who run educational institutions will not welcome intrusion on their turf

P: A law for mandatory assessment and accreditation in higher eduction through an independent regulatory authority
F: Possible, and very necessary given the poor state of private, deemed and state universities

P: Review of functioning of existing deemed universities
F: Work has already started. Much-needed step

P: Introduction of semesters and choice-based credit system in central institutions
F: Much needed. Work has already begun but barring Delhi University, few central educational institutions are in position to implement it in the next 100 days

WHAT SIBAL WOULD LIKE TO DO
P: Have a single board examination throughout the country
F: A contentious issue. State governments are going to oppose it strongly

P: Eventually, scrap Class XII exams
F: On what basis would college admissions take place? One proposal is to replace Class XII boards with a common entrance exam, but that would simply mean replacing one stressful exam with another

TIMES VIEW
Doing away with the Class X board exams, unifying all schools in India under a single board, and replacing marks with grades are excellent ideas. Achieving these involves getting across many serious hurdles, both political and logistical. But that is no reason for jettisoning good ideas. If these ideas become reality, the stress faced by students and parents would be significantly reduced. Also, the problems associated with many different boards, each following a different syllabus and marking system, would cease to exist. The fact that the hurdles are serious only means that authorities at the state and Central level must pull together if the aim is to be achieved. Time and energy spent on arguing why this cannot happen would be better spent figuring out how to make it happen.