The students of classes 9 to 12 may witness major changes in their examination pattern as the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has proposed several modifications in the conduct of the examinations.
According to sources, the top advisory body for the Centre and state on school education has proposed to conduct eight semesters or eight board exams for students between classes 9 to 12. This means, the students have to appear for two semesters or two board examinations in an academic year.
If a student does not perform well in one semester or board exam, then she/he will get another chance during the next semester as per the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for school education, sources said.
Similarly, in its proposal, prepared by the national steering committee appointed by the Centre, the NCERT has proposed the students from art stream can read science and commerce subjects and vice a versa.
Notably, K Kasturirangan, former chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is heading the national steering committee.
Besides, the NCERT has also sought suggestions from students, parents, educationists, and intellectuals while proposing changes for the examination pattern.
“The proposed changes in the examination pattern are welcoming. It will reduce the workload of the students and enable them to perform well in the next semester if they did not do well in the previous one,” said RN Panda, an educationalist.
“In the proposed changes, students are given the option to select subjects based on their choices,” he added.
Commenting on the development, SAI International School chairman Nilakantha Panigrahi said, “Students of class 11 and 12 will have to appear for two semesters each year while the class 9 and 10 students have to sit in two board exams annually. The proposed changes will allow comprehensive and holistic evaluation.”