New Year Greetings-2009

This is the time when all schools/teachers and students are in a state of anticipated flurry of preparation for the home examination and CBSE Board examinations around the corner. There is a need to reinforce the concept of life-skills with a special focus on adolescents. There should be need for anxiety, stress or under panic, Counsellors, teachers and parents can work together to harmonise the holistic personality of a learner by focusing on the development of life-skills such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and decision-making, coping with emotions and dealing with stress. This would enable students to maintain calm, poise and equip them with the necessary skills/tools to cope with any negative emotions.

I would also like to focus on the concept of ‘Higher Order Thinking Skills’ and application based questions. The Sample Question Papers of the main subjects along with the Marking Schemes are already available on the CBSE website (www.cbse.nic.in) and in the printed mode. The testing of application based questions which involves analysis, synthesis and evaluation or inference comprise the Higher Order Thinking Skill questions. The component in the Question Papers needs to be gradually built in during the year that follow. The ultimate objective is to ensure that learners engage in experimental learning activities and construct knowledge in the classroom. Testing needs to be a washback for the teaching in the class.

The component of Life Skills mentioned earlier also need to enhance the value based framework of each learner. In the increasingly fragmented world today, enough examples and anecdotes can be drawn from our traditions and lives of social reformers and great leaders.

I wish to emphasize the need to lay greater stress on Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and school-based assessment. The schools need to be fair and transparent in assessing learners in the internal assessment in all classes. The criteria and guidelines has been circulated to schools earlier. I earnestly hope that schools are involved in ensuring activity-based projects in Environment Education. Graded activities are available in the Teacher’s Manual brought out by the CBSE Board.

The CBSE Board has always believed in the concept of continuous empowerment of Principals and teachers and it

is in this mode that we hope to bring out an annual teachers training calendar in the first quarter of the year. This will be placed on CBSE website so that schools can benefit from the training when it is in a city nearby.

This year a huge amount of feedback has already been received from various stake holders. Students, teachers, parents and educators through the ‘Internet with Chairman facility’ available on the CBSE website. As a result thereafter a FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) section has been put up on the website. All teachers and students are encouraged to go through this section. Awareness regarding the Helpline and Counselling will also help students to clarify doubts and assuage their concern.

My request to all of you is to find time to visit the CBSE website as frequently as possible to update yourself on various developments taking place on a continuous basis.