CBSE class X exams: agreed to add vocational sixth subject marks

RK Chaturvedi, CBSE chairperson is also the chair of the governing body. He spoke on Thursday about the need to have a common assessment and examination schemes. In May, the Delhi Court has asked CBSE to continue the policy of giving grace marks. CBSE has the policy of giving grace marks to students for difficult questions.

The Human Development Ministry’s Inter Board Working Group will take the decision to cancel the policy of marks moderation, the school board said.

Class X students will be allowed to keep the vocational subject as a sixth paper, The Central Board of Secondary Education said on Thursday. If a student fails in one subject, then the marks of the vocational subject will be used while calculating the percentage.

The Class X board exams will be held in 2018 after seven years. This policy is expected to be beneficial to the students.

A member of the Board said, "This provision was passed in the meeting as there was a feeling among all that vocational subjects should be given emphasis."

 The school board pointed out that the decision to cancel the moderation policy was with the Human Resource Development Ministry’s Inter Board Working Group.

The Board had decided to do away with moderation that increases the student’s marks. Even the Delhi Court rapped the Board for it. The Board pointed out on Thursday that the decision to cancel the police was with the ministry’s Inter Board Working Group.

Many school boards have adopted the practice of "moderation". In simple words, it means that the marks of the students are increased to keep uniformity among the marks given by different examiners. It is done to maintain the parity of pass percentage of students during several years. It also helps students who experienced a difficult time while solving the questions during examination time.

In May, the Delhi High Court has asked CBSE to keep giving grace marks to students for difficult questions.

The decision to get rid of the marks moderation policy was challenged by a parent and a lawyer who argued that this would have a “drastic effect on the students”.

A parent and a lawyer had challenged the decision to get rid of the marks moderation policy. They had argued that it would have a “drastic effect on the students”.

RK Chaturvedi, CBSE chairperson is also the chair of the governing body. He spoke on Thursday about the need to have a common assessment and examination schemes.

RK Chaturvedi, CBSE chairperson who is also the chair of the governing body, spoke on Thursday about the need to have a common assessment and examination schemes.

Earlier this month, the HRD ministry had constituted the board comprising members from eight different boards. The function of this committee is to come up with a common system which all boards can follow.

The board also discussed capacity building for teachers to provide them with training on the evaluation process and teaching pedagogy. In the CBSE's center for excellence every year, teachers and principals are trained on a regular basis.

Earlier, the HRD ministry made a committee which had members from eight different boards from different states.  This committee was to discuss and lay down the rules which could be followed by all boards. The committee also discussed on the training provided to the teachers. It is a training on the evaluation process and also the teaching pedagogy. Emphasis is also on increasing the capacity of the teachers. Teachers and principals are trained regularly every year in the CBSE's center for excellence.

The board was also informed by the CBSE chairman about the new integrated campus of the boards which is coming up in Dwarka. However, he did not talk about a proposal of holding the board examination a month in advance. "He said this was not a part of the meeting agenda and that the proposal is at a nascent stage," said a member.