Sibal raises a storm of questions

BANGALORE: Ever since HRD ministry Kapil Sibal announced that the CBSE Class 10 exam was optional, phones have not stopped ringing at Bangalore schools.

With no clear communication from the ministry, schools and parents are in a quandary. On Monday, the ministry announced that CBSE Class 10 exam will be optional from the next academic year, while the grading system will be introduced this year itself. Further, Sibal said that after the board exams are abolished in 2011, students will have a choice -- to appear for the exam on demand for transfer to another school, or pre-university institutes.

This has raised doubts among schools, which say the "idea is good but the thought process is not".

"It's important that all three stakeholders -- parents, students and schools -- are satisfied. The challenge is for students looking for a transfer to other schools or PU institutions," said Mansoor Ali Khan, member, board of management, Delhi Public School (DPS).

Valuation is another question. "How will we valuate students appearing for the board exams and those who are not? Hitherto, students would begin preparations four months in advance. Now, there is pressure to prepare throughout the year," he observed.

A KV school principal, who did not want to be named, had similar views, "Every day, we have queries from parents wanting to know about the optional exam, they want to know how it will be conducted. There should be some selection criterion to Class 11. Nothing is clear. There is no communication from the ministry and we learn everything only through the media," the principal added.

NPS Group of Institutions chairman K P Gopalkrishna said the grading system involves conversion of marks into grades. "Ultimately, marking has to take place in the grading system. For instance, 90-100 marks is A1. Grading carries a new meaning and is done differently," he said.

He asked how evaluation will be done for students taking the exam. "What about those who do not take the exam? On what criteria will they be given admission for Class 11? Will the PU Board accept the grading system?"

Mansoor Ali Khan suggested a proper directive from the Council or ministry. "There has to be workshop for parents and teachers on the grading system and evaluation method," he added.

Neil O'Brien, chairman, CISCE, told The Times of India from New Delhi that the Council has not taken any decision on it yet. "These are suggestions made by Kapil Sibal and implemented by the respective boards. Hence, we will wait and see what happens. As of now, we haven't discussed it yet and have no plans of making any change," he added.