Delhi govt urges CBSE to push board exams to May
New Delhi:
The Delhi directorate of education on Tuesday urged the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to delay the board exams till at least May next year, saying the prolonged closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic affected the teaching and learning processes.
“In order to provide the students with reasonable time to study in person in schools, it is requested that the ongoing board examinations 2021 be conducted not before May 2021. Consequently, the next academic session may commence from July 2021,” read a letter written by additional Director Education (School/Exam) Saroj Bala Sain to the board.
Delhi schools have been closed since March 19 due to the lockdown imposed to arrest the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. Since then, schools have switched to online mode of learning.
Government schools in the capital have also adopted a semi-online model of teaching and learning activities, wherein students are sent worksheets through teachers, parents, and school management committee members.
“Though DOE has conducted online/semi-online teaching-learning activities through live classes as well as worksheets/activity sheets, but the online teaching-learning process cannot replace the physical classroom teaching process,” the letter stated.
A senior official in the Delhi government’s education department said, “Since schools in Delhi will be closed till October-end at least, we have requested the board to delay the exams so that students have adequate time to prepare.”
In addition, the education department has asked the board to further reduce the syllabus for the current session. In July, the board had reduced the syllabus by 30% for classes 9 to 12 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a meeting held last month with CBSE officials, suggestions were also made to reduce the percentage of syllabus to be covered for evaluation, HT has learnt.
The education department on Tuesday also asked for detailed guidelines regarding conducting of practical exams under the prevailing conditions or “any other alternative mode to replace the practical part of the subject.”.
On October 5, HT had reported how schools were worried about the absence of practical classes for students of class 10 and 12 and their implication in the board exams.
“Practical and project work are an integral part of any subject that include assessment of desired skills and competencies. It is pertinent to give students hands-on practice for the same for a sufficient period of time. It is requested that the board may provide detailed guidelines regarding the conduct of these practical exams under such conditions or any other alternative mode to replace the practical part of the subject,” read the letter sent on Tuesday.
When asked about the possibility of reducing the syllabus further or delaying the board exams next year, CBSE chairperson Manoj Ahuja said, “These decisions cannot be taken at the whim of the moment and involve deliberation. We haven’t taken a call on this issue so far.”
The directorate had also asked the board, in a separate letter on October 9, to extend the deadline for the board exam fee up to November 14 instead of October 15 since many students were unable to pay the amount due to the economic crisis arising out of Covid-19 pandemic.
The letter was sent after CBSE said it could not waive off the exam fee, as requested earlier, since it was a self-financing board and needed the funds to conduct the exams on a large scale, especially during the pandemic.
Delhi govt urges CBSE to push board exams to May
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