Class 12 students suggest innovative assessment methods
LUCKNOW : The students who are supposed to appear in the Class 12 board exams this year have suggested a few “innovative ways” to evaluate them in view of Covid making it “unsafe” to assess them in the conventional manner, especially as some students may not be in the right frame of mind due to the loss of loved ones amid the pandemic.
The issue has gained importance as Class 12 exams have been delayed due to the second wave of Covid and the education ministry is mulling various options before taking a decision on the exams. The decision is expected in early June.
The suggestions include having personal interviews with students via video calls, gauging the “real understanding” of the students rather than their learning capacity and devising a “fair” system so that no one would be at the risk of infection.
Achint Marwa, a student of La Martiniere Girls’ College, said, “The Council (ISC) should come out with some innovative ways to evaluate students on basis of their real understanding of the subjects vis-a-vis just the learning capacity. For example, the board may consider having subject-wise personal interviews with students via video calls where a student can actually explain her understanding rather than just ensuring the use of key words.”
“The board should also take note of the fact that there would be many students who have lost their loved ones. Their emotional state will definitely affect performance,” she said.
“Class 12 examinations are extremely important, but not at the cost of students’ health and lives. There are students who have lost their closed ones and aren’t in the right frame of mind,” said Nandini Goel, a CBSE class 12 board examinee at GD Goenka Public School.
She added, “If lakhs of students step out of their homes to give offline board (exams) without vaccination, the situation will revert to what it was one month ago.”
Hina Naela, a CBSE class 12 examinee said, “We appear for assessments so as to measure our academic understanding and progress. After nearly 18 months of Covid curbs, the mental health of Class of 2021 has been damaged. We are not able to concentrate, because our thoughts are centred around death and desolation. The bottom line is, if board examinations do happen, they would be a mere formality, since no student will actually sit for the papers prepared. Our performance will be compromised beyond doubt.”
Aryaman Tripathi, a student of Study Hall School, said, “The board exams shouldn’t take place because the lives of the students are more precious than the academic scores they achieve. The board can find some other alternative like they did for class 10. And if they want the commencement of the exams, then they can have it after the Covid-19 situation eases.”
However, there are students who are keen to appear in offline examinations.
Aditya Saxena, student of class 12 at Study Hall said, “I want to give offline exam in my school itself, one language and three subjects of choice will be better. It can be a 90-minute paper with multiple choice questions (MCQs) and short questions.”
“If the exams were to get cancelled, the hard work of the past one and a half years would go down the drain,” said Ketav Rastogi, student of St Francis’ College.
Mayur Mayank of Study Hall said, “Only the major subjects should be examined, maximum three subjects. The remaining subjects should be marked internally. Also, the paper should be of two hours instead of three hours, to reduce the sitting time in the exam room. All protocols should be followed strictly.”
The ball is now in the court of the ministry of education, said CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) chief executive and secretary Gerry Arathoon on Tuesday.
Union minister of education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has already held a meeting with education ministers across the country on Sunday. The ministry may take a decision by June 1. Both CBSE and CISCE decided to cancel class 10 examination and students of this class will be awarded marks on the basis of internal assessments.