Board examinations conducted for standard 10 and 12 are the stepping stones for shaping a student’s future. The way board exam papers are assessed and their pattern have changed from time to time—preparing the students for extensive higher education.
Given the current wave of the pandemic, students appearing for board exams in the year 2021 will surely earn a place in history. They have been taught via both online and offline mediums and have had limited social contact with their batchmates. This gives rise to a critical question: what about the 2021 board exam? Will they be conducted?
The Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE has already started the preparation of board exams amidst the ongoing pandemic. Over the internet, you’ll read a lot of speculations stating that the board exams might be delayed by 45 or 60 days, or the syllabus for the boards will be reduced. However, nothing is certain as CBSE has not released any official statement on the same yet.
The pandemic has disrupted the schedule for boards for the students and the CBSE itself. Imagining the stress students have to undergo, education minister Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has proposed a two-time board exam schedule. This will not only reduce the heavy stress but also promote holistic development in students.
Beena Nayaken, the Principal of Orchid International School, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai, said this move is proposed in lieu of reducing different types of stress, pressure, and anxiety of board exams. It will help them to go easy instead.
“Organising a board exam requires the allotment of teachers as invigilators, examiners, evaluators from all schools. Arranging these twice in an academic year would surely disturb the academic routine of every school. Finances are also involved to conduct board exams. All this may reflect on students’ fees and school expenses,” she added.
Principal Beena Nayaken also addressed a concern that might follow if this proposal is implemented: the possibility of students slackening their preparation for the boards, and thus becoming complacent. The benefit of having two boards is that it will give students two chances to improve their score. But the downside is the workload on the schools which might increase two folds— the prime reason being the board exams requiring immense preparation and paperwork too.
As students wait and prepare for the board exams, online classes continue throughout the country. Teachers from various schools are doing their best to complete the syllabus while CBSE processes the student list for the upcoming (hopefully) board exams. Students, parents, teachers alike are waiting to hear more from CBSE in order to prepare for the next course of action.