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Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, May 3 (EMN): CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathy, while speaking to India Today on May 1, clarified on some of the CBSE board exam updates and what the board is planning for students.
1. CBSE Class 10 exams cancelled, selective Class 12 exams after lockdown lifts
Anurag Tripathy clarified that as per the CBSE notification released on April 1, all remaining CBSE Class 10 board exams have been cancelled.
As for CBSE class 12 board exams, examinations for only 12 major subjects would be carried out after the lockdown, which would be required for college admissions.
Students need to note that except for the CBSE Class 10 students of North Delhi whose board exams had been postponed due to violence, only very minor Class 10 board exams had been pending for the rest of India - these minor exams have been cancelled.
For the minor CBSE Class 10 exams that have been cancelled, students will be evaluated based on their internal assessment marks, Tripathy clarified.
But the major CBSE Class 10 subjects which had been postponed in North Delhi are yet to take place after lockdown is lifted.
2. CBSE board exam paper evaluation needs 1.5 to 2 months
Even though CBSE had decided to declare the CBSE Class 10 board results as per the exams already conducted, Tripathy informed that they haven't been able to start off with the paper evaluation yet following which they would be able to declare the CBSE board exam results 2020.
"We will need 1.5 to 2 months to carry out the paper evaluation. As soon as we get the advisory from the Central government, we can start off the paper evaluation process while maintaining social distancing," he said.
He clarified that CBSE paper evaluation started off just a few days after board exams began and the process is carried out parallelly to the board exams. Around 70% of CBSE answer sheets still need to be evaluated even though some of them were done in the 15 days of evaluation before the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed, he said.
There are around 35 lakh students who appear for board exams and 2 crore CBSE answer sheets that need to be checked, Tripathy said.
He also said that certain state boards such as Madhya Pradesh board had already started off answer sheet evaluation while maintaining social distancing by keeping two to four teachers in a single room only.
Students and parents also need to note that on April 28, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank met the education ministers of all the states and advised them to start off with the paper evaluation of state board exams.
He also asked the ministers to make provisions for CBSE to carry out their answer sheet evaluation in the respective states as well.
3. 'No need to panic about NEET, JEE'
The CBSE secretary advised students and parents to not panic because of the tough situation created due to the lockdown because exams had been postponed not just in India but also all over the world.
"The situation is the same for all boards in the country, and all countries in the world," he said.
Tripathy said that since the competitive exams like NEET and JEE, which are carried out after the board exams have also been postponed, students don't need to worry about them right now.
"Even though it is genuinely a very problematic situation especially for students who are appearing or the CBSE Class 12 board exams, there is nothing we can do right now except be patient," he added.
He informed that officials and parents should emotionally support students during these tough times and create an atmosphere at home that is conducive to learning without stress.
4. 'CBSE board exams can be carried out in 10 to 12 days after lockdown opens'
The CBSE secretary said that if the government feels that the situation is good enough to start off with exams again, then the remaining CBSE board exams could be carried out in just 10-12 days.
"But if the situation is not good and the lockdown gets extended then CBSE has to come up with a new plan," he said.
However, he said that it wasn't possible to say anything at the moment.
Students should keep a check on the official CBSE website to keep track of the latest updates.
5. CBSE books available online free of cost
"NCERT has put up 100% of its books online. Any student can download those books and study them free of cost," said Tripathy.
Students can choose to study the material on their desktops or take a printout if they choose.
Students should also note that the Union Home Ministry on April 22 allowed shops selling school books to be opened during the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in his April 28 meeting with state education ministers had also repeated the same.
'Routine online classes can be traumatic for students'
Tripathy also advised CBSE teachers carrying out online classes to not go by the same formula as routine physical classes where a teacher comes and talks in front of the screen for 40 minutes and goes away as it wouldn't help students develop.
"We have issued an advisory that asks teachers to use the 40 minutes to question students, give out projects and assignments, and develop the curiosity of students," said the CBSE secretary.
He said that after 10-15 minutes of online classes, teachers should involve students in activities so that the pressure of online classes is reduced and they learn better as well.
He added that it could be traumatic for young students if they had to deal with 5-6 hours of online classes every day apart from the stress of the Covid-19 lockdown that keeps them from going outside or meeting their friends.
Thus, parents and teachers would have to ensure that the approach remains balanced for students while studying during the lockdown, he said.