The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Entrance test scrapped, CBSE students in a fix

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 20, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Entrance test scrapped, CBSE students in a fix

Meera Srinivasan

Parents say their children are depressed The government announcement has caused dismay among CBSE students

CHENNAI: The announcement made by the State Government to scrap the Common Entrance Test for Plus Two students of the State Board syllabus, but making it mandatory for students of other Boards, has put CBSE students in Chennai in a fix.

"Though my son hasn't said anything, I can see how stressed he is. He keeps asking me if he stands any chance at all," says Sandhya Ramesh, parent of a Class 12 student.

"My daughter has gone very quiet for the past couple of days. The disappointment and anxiety is evident on her face. I have told her that it's enough if she passes. There are a million ways to come up in life. It's not the legal aspects but the long wait and subsequent announcement which makes us angry," says N. Ramesh Chandra Vidya Sagar, another parent.

"A lot of parents come and tell us their children are very depressed. Personally, I feel it is extremely unfair to every CBSE student. All CBSE schools should get together and ask the government to reconsider the decision," says S. Bhavani Shankar, principal, Chettinad Vidyashram.

"A class 12 student, no matter what, is already under great pressure. This announcement has only added to it. I am sure they feel discriminated against," says Sheela Rajendra, Correspondent, Padma Seshadri Group of Schools.

"Studying Biotechnology was my dream. After the announcement, I have decided to take up a B.Sc course if I don't get enough marks," says R.Abhinaya, a CBSE Class 12 student.

Ironically, Aishwarya. R, a Class 12 student of a leading State board school in Chennai says, " Absence of CET could be disadvantageous for us, too, as we have to write a paper for 150 marks of which only 30 are for multiple choice questions. What if we lose marks in a theory question or we are unable to finish the paper? Even two marks can make a huge difference in terms of rank." "CBSE students certainly stand a good chance in the national level entrance examinations; even BITS, Pilani has introduced entrance examination," she adds.

Parents also feel that this would add to the pressure on class X students, who now have to take a crucial decision on their choice of subjects in Plus Two. A lot of them could end up taking the Commerce stream simply to avoid the pressure of taking entrance examinations for professional courses.

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