Education wing's dual board exam plan sparks debate; students oppose

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: The Ministry of Education launched a new curriculum framework on August 23.

The framework includes changes such as two board exams per year for Classes 11 and 12, the option to retain the best score, and two languages instead of one.

The changes have been met with mixed reactions. Pradeep Rawat, founder of the All India Parents and Students Association, expressed concern over the government's decision to conduct board exams twice a year for students.

He said that public examinations are already a stressful affair, and most colleges do not even consider Class 12 marks.

He believes that doubling the number of board exams will only add to the stress of students and is an unplanned move by the government. Rawat added that most Class-12 students focus on entrance exams like Cuet, JEE, Neet and Clat, and only aim to score the minimum required percentage in the Class 12 board exam.

This way, they have time to prepare for their important entrance exams. However, if they have to take two board exams, they will not have enough time to prepare for other exams.

Adarsh Basavaraj, a student coach, believes that public exams can be daunting for students, but conducting them twice will help students break the myth of fear and become desensitised to it.

This does not necessarily mean that it will double the pressure on students. Deepti Prakash, a parent and manager of a parent association stated, “One time is more than enough. Students already have multiple exams. Then why create havoc for the students? Concept clarity is more important than writing exams.”

Like Deepti, several parents have taken it up on X to share their frustration over the stress students already have with one board exam and how two board exams will make it worse.

Teacher trauma While this move might be daunting for students, it will be even more daunting for teachers. They will be under pressure to complete the syllabus in a given time, while also giving students enough time to prepare for two exams.

Rawat opined that this will put teachers under tremendous pressure. He said that usually, teachers have 10 to 11 months to complete the syllabus, but now they will only have 6 to 7 months.

This will adversely affect teachers unless they are extremely prepared. Adarsh said that teachers typically cover the syllabus slowly in the first few months of the school year and then rush through it at the end, leaving students with no time to prepare.

He said, "If the exam is the day after tomorrow, they will just finish the syllabus for the sake of it today. And with this, the situation will only get worse."

Solution, suggestions Rawat suggests that if students are given the option to choose their best scores, it should be subject-wise.

“If a student scores 77% in physics in the first attempt and 79% in the second attempt, but their overall score is better in the first attempt, they should have the flexibility to choose their physics score from the second attempt. This would allow students to choose their specialisation in college based on their strengths in different subjects.”

Adarsh urged teachers to be extremely prepared and planned from the beginning of the academic year. He said that teachers should ensure that the syllabus is completed in time and that students are given ample time to prepare and revise.

He also urged the government to ensure that students are not stressed about the changes and to make them aware of the benefits of this move.