No exams from 2025, Patrachar Vidyalaya students left in the lurch

HUNDREDS OF students who study at CBSE’S Patrachar Vidyalayas, which run weekend classes and classes in distance learning mode, are staring at an uncertain future as exams are set to be discontinued next year. The board took the decision late last year, The Indian Express has learnt.

The school usually sees children from low-income families who don’t have access to formal education. In Delhi, students who have failed classes IX-XII for two years in a row are not granted readmission and are encouraged to join this institution.

The reason for discontinuing the scheme is the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, according to official documents. The documents show that under NEP, the component of internal assessment/ project/ practical exam has been incorporated into all subjects. Candidates of Patrachar Vidyalayas cannot be assessed for the internal assessment component, as it’s not part of their curriculum, hence, results under the current scheme are incorrect, said a CBSE official.

Delhi government sources told The Indian Express that the Directorate of Education has submitted a representation to the CBSE, requesting it to continue its affiliation with the Patrachar Vidyalaya beyond 2025 in the interest of children who cannot continue schooling as regular students due to socioeconomic reasons. “The Patrachar Vidyalaya has even offered CBSE to withdraw all special concessions/ exemptions granted to it, but allow it to continue as a patrachar school. A response is awaited from the

Board,” sources said.

According to the official prospectus, “The ‘Patrachar Vidyalaya’ is a pioneer institution

in the field of non-formal education at the school level. It was established in January 1968 to open new vistas of education for dropouts and those belonging to the weaker sections of society who could not continue their education”. The CBSE official, however, said the Board believes the Delhi government’s initiatives, including the Delhi Model Virtual Schools and the Delhi Board of School Education (DSEB), would have sufficient expertise to assess students.

Data accessed by The Indian Express shows that the Class X results of the Patrachar school in Delhi have remained below 50% in the past three years (see box).

Meanwhile, the number of students enrolled from delhi government schools stood at 530,473 and 635 in the years 2020, 2021, 2022. The number of students who appeared for the Class X exam rose from 455 in the year 2020 to 605 in the year 2022. 281 students passed the Patrachar Vi dy a lay a examination in 2022 as compared to 213 students in 2020.

Earlier, The Indian Express had reported that of the children who failed in 2017-2018, less than a third were re-admitted to their schools. While 11,226 were admitted to Patrachar Vidyalayas, 18,345 were admitted to NIOS (National Institute of Open Learning) centres.