Teachers, students split on no-exam plans
COUNTRY IS CONSIDERING A SYSTEM THAT TESTS STUDENT’S UNDERSTANDING
India’s National Education Policy proposes new system
India is mulling a different type of learning. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 draft that awaits implementation is proposing scrapping of ‘those dreaded papers’. Indian Express, one of the country’s leading dailies, reported this week that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in India is considering a new plan — one without exams from 2021.
The response the discussion is garnering is only to be expected. While educators look to a more result-oriented style of teaching that tests a person’s understanding rather than recollection prowess, some students wonder if there’s any point to taking school work seriously if there’s no exam.
‘Exams are crucial’
“Exams are a medium to assess the teaching and learning of the students,” says Rafia Zafar Ali, Director/Principal Leaders Private School, Sharjah. “They are crucial for improving focus, critical reasoning and motivation to work hard to achieve their target. Exams instill discipline, time management, problem solving and the ability to train the mind to become lifelong learners.” And that’s why the system has stuck around for so long.
“However, exams without forward planning does put immense pressure on the children to compete. [An] exam-free environment can be stimulating for students who might derive their motivation in sports, creativity and innovation without the stress to pass or fail,” she says.
For Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal, Credence High School, Dubai, the new NEP is a welcome idea. “I am sure when the NEP is declared after ratifications and consultations between various stakeholders all aspects would be clearly defined and would definitely be path-breaking,” she says.
So what’s the future of school going to look like?
“Education in the future will need to move away from exams and grades as the sole indicators of success. We need to develop different assessment patterns that look at skills and values needed to empower the students to be innovative and creative, and adept at risk taking and problem solving,” says Gauri Ishwaran, former Principal of Sanskriti, Delhi, and the Padma Shri — the fourth highest civilian award in India — winner.
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, Principal and Director of DPS Dubai, believes the school of the future will mirror real life. “Schools of the future will mimic real life by teaching students skills with hands-on experiences. Thus, there will be sophisticated mechanisms in place to gauge the progress of every child who is engaged in thinking, doing, innovating and collaborating, without the anxiety of memorisation for a one-off high stakes examination.”
Teresa Varman, Principal and CEO of GEMS Millennium School, Sharjah, says the new system places students at the heart of the system. “[It] paves the way for better outcomes by prioritising their learning and interests over examination scores.”
Pramod Mahajan, Principal, Sharjah Indian School, is a supporter of the new system as well. He explains: “Decide success criterion, rubrics and futuristic thought process to help the learners as per their pace, speed, taste, liking, capabilities; by nurturing the inherent talent within the learners.” And it is exactly this that the new exam-less system is making a bid for.