Un, dos, tres
CBSE students to get three chances to clear class IX and X exams

By Shubhdarshani Mitra
New Delhi, October 30: Time to sing Ricky Martin’s Maria for an altogether different purpose! Thanks to our Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, who is at a constant job of providing the lyrics of our education song. Earlier, it was the announcement of the grading system in the CBSE board exams and now it’s the chance to qualify class IX and X in three attempts. Shall we give a round of applause! This has been followed by eliminating ‘Ps, Fs or Cs’ from the mark sheet. The board has made an announcement that the marksheets of students from 2010 will not have terms like pass, fail or compartmental. How about a standing ovation!

No scores, no pass or fail, and more than one attempt (read three attempts) to clear a class. Isn’t it taking too many chances with the nation’s education system, which in the first place needs more than few darns and stitches right from primary to higher education? Are we trying to ape the West? Well, in that case, we should know that they are at a much higher platform than us with a far higher rate of education? The new initiative will give more weightage to sports and extra-curricular activities. Brilliant step. Now, if we romanticise this and tell ourselves that this will encourage sports as a career option for passionate players for they wouldn’t flunk in the exams for giving more time to sports, what happens at the next level? Do our colleges and universities have enough pedestals to enable them for the job world? And mind it, what kind of job world do we have at disposal is another big question! Only if, we have been listening well, we would know the raga of unemployment being played all around.

Our honourable minister says the initiatives are just a drop in the ocean. There is more to come in the coming years, ie during his term. But the apprehensions looming large include worries like: are we prepared to make such huge changes and are we equipped in terms of trained teachers who would be at the vanguard of the changes. Moreover, the other boards still have marking system. ICSE has rubbished the idea of converting totally into a grading system. It already has a grading system in place along with scores.

While de-stressing the system, giving it a more friendly face, encouraging overall growth of a child is a great thought but what we ask is have we done our homework well? Are we sure this sudden upheaval will lead to right outcomes?