NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is taking a series of measures from the next board examinations to make them "stress-free". These include giving extra time to the students to study the question paper.

Announcing this at a meeting of Parliament's Consultative Committee for his Ministry on Tuesday, Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said the decisions taken in respect of examinations conducted by CBSE would include allowing students an extra 15 minutes before the commencement of the examination to study the question paper. The question papers would be set in such a way that they could be answered in two-and-a-half hours while the students would get three hours to answer them, he added.

Initiatives would also be taken to introduce an internal assessment system in mathematics, science and social sciences based on project work and assignment. This would give adequate thrust to continuous learning in classrooms and assessment of the performance of students on a holistic base covering a wide range of learning skills rather than one short examination at the secondary level.

According to Mr. Arjun Singh, CBSE already has provision for only one theory paper for each subject in the public examinations for Classes X and XII. Other State Boards have been asked to have only one question paper for each subject too. The Board has already initiated steps for finalising the pattern of grades, which would be introduced at the earliest. The schools had been asked to conduct only one pre-board examination, the Minister said.

Calling for a consensus while dealing with such a sensitive issue that involved not only the students but the entire nation, Mr. Singh said it needed a widespread discussion with an open mind.

He said that in the sphere of education "we could not afford to have any culture that denied a democratic debate". Making examinations stress-free should not be a matter of debate but an ongoing discussion. He also suggested a debate in Parliament on the issue.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |