Amid Class 12 exam doubts, CICSE collates average scores
NEW DELHI: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE) has started collating the internal test results and average Class 11 and Class 12 scores of all candidates appearing for ISC (Indian School Certificate) papers at all its affiliated schools this year, according to a letter issued by the chief of the board.
The move, said officials in several schools, indicates that the board might be considering evaluating students based on these marks in the event the Class 12 exams are not held due to the Covid-19 situation across the country, a claim that the CICSE’S chief executive and secretary Gerry Arathoon denied.
The board in April cancelled the Class 10 (ICSE) exams and postponed the Class 12 tests, which were scheduled to start on May 4 due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.
In a letter sent on May 27, Arathoon asked all affiliated schools to send the board the required test scores by June 7.
“The CISCE is in the process of collating and collecting data from all our schools presenting candidates for the Class 12 examination. You are, therefore, requested to provide the requested information for Class 12 candidates,” he said in the letter.
The board has asked schools for the average marks scored by the candidates in Class 11 (during the 2019-20 session) as well as the average marks scored in internal tests and examinations in Class 12 (in the 2020-21 session).
“The papers and subjects must be the same for which the candidates have been registered and confirmed for Class 12 examination. The submission of the average marks of papers should be done online, through the internal assessment module on the CAREERS Portal,” he said in the letter.
Schools have also been asked to upload the candidates’ consolidated Class 11 and 12 marksheets so that the marks can be verified. For candidates who have changed schools after Class 11, the student’s current school will have to ask the previous school for this information.
The principal of a Cicse-affiliated school in Gurugram, who asked not to be named, said, “It looks like the board has already decided its plan B and will evaluate students based on the average of Class 11 marks and Class 12 internal scores in case exams don’t take place.”
When HT contacted Arathoon, he denied that the board was planning to cancel exams.
“We just wanted to collect this data for our own information. We will wait for the Union education ministry to announce its decision on class 12 exams and then only we will take any decision,” he said.
The Union education ministry will announce its decision regarding the Class 12 exams, including those conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) by Tuesday.
A senior official of CBSE, who asked not to be named, said, “The board is waiting for a direction from the Union education ministry. We will announce the decision by Tuesday.”
THE BOARD HAS ASKED AFFILIATED SCHOOLS TO UPLOAD CLASS 11, 12 MARKSHEETS FOR VERIFICATION