Postponing CBSE Board Exam 2021: Reasons why board exams should be deferred till May

KEY STORY

• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had invited queries and concerns regarding the upcoming board and competitive examinations from students.

• Of the many requests and responses received, most of them are for postponing CBSE Board Examinations 2021 from their usual Feb-Mar schedule to May 2021.

• From concerns over reopening of schools to the more pertinent questions on practical examinations, the responses are myriad.

• Experts and teachers have also shared concerns and requested for the schools to be reopened for students of classes 10 and 12 so as to ensure students are prepared for the board examination.

• However, in a recent interview, Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE Controller of Examinations shared that there was no plan to defer the board examinations.

• He has also shared that the boars is open for options as well. As we wait, here is a look at top 5 reasons why CBSE Board Exams 2021 should be postponed till May.

  CBSE Board Exams 2021: 5 Reasons why exams should be postponed
  1. Schools still closed in many states
  Schools in India were closed in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. Following the lockdowns and consequent unlock guidelines, the schools were allowed to reopen from October. Even then, many states have decided to keep the schools closed and ordered the schools to remain closed till December 31. Closed schools raise concerns over opening centres for conducting examination to the actual classroom teaching, which has been missing this year.

  2. Not 100 per cent access to online learning
  Academic year 2020-21 started virtually in March 2020 and has continued to be largely online for most of the students. The Governments of various states have also launhed TV channels to ensure continued learning. However, the fact remains that not every student has access to online learning. In a CBSE survey, the board has acceded that while most of the students in urban areas have had access to online learning, the number from rural areas still is very low. With no classes – conducting board examinations before schools reopen may simply be unfair to all such students.

  3. Conducting practical exams without practical classes not possible
  Many experts and academicians have raised questions over the rationale of conducting practical examination without actually conducting practical classes. “Showing a student how a chemical reacts is not the same as students actually doing the experiment. The colour of the smoke, the smell…the amount of acid to pour – these require physical instructions. If we have not done that, how can students be assessed on the same?” asks Ms. Aarti, a Chemistry PGT in a leading school in Faridabad.

  Similar objections have been raised and teachers have asked for a minimum of 2 month period of classroom coaching before the board examinations are conducted.

  4. Many State Boards have already postponed the exams
  Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have postponed their SSC and HSC or Class 10 and 12 board examinations 2021 to the month of May. Other states too have shared their willingness and possibility of delaying the board examinations. While the state board and central board examinations do not follow the same date sheet, they are usually conducted around the same time to ensure that all students would have access to similar opportunities with higher education. Furthermore, the board examination schedule also determines the national level competitive examinations, where students from all states appear. With the precedent set, postponing CBSE Board Exams 2021 to May would ensure equal opportunity to all.

  5. Students not prepared for Offline Exams
  Many teachers and experts along with students have shared concerns over appearing for an examination just yet. “Our syllabus is complete and we have been taking online assessment and started revision. But a one hour online examination cannot replicate a three hour examination. Students are simply not used to writing for so long!” shared Ms. Parul, a senior accounts teacher.

  “Examination is an experience; it is not merely about what a student knows and does not know. It is also the ability of a child to recall what he has learnt in a specific setting. Schools make sure that the pre-board examinations simulate an actual board exam to the nearest possible manner. With schools till shut, students have no idea how and why and where. It’s almost essential that students be first brought back to classrooms physically before they can be ushered into examination halls!” she adds.

  With arguments in place, the final decision now remains with Education Ministry and CBSE. As for the reason why the examinations should be conducted in March, the only one available is to bring back the academic year within its usual ‘normal’. And yet, what’s normal now?