Class 12 marks. SC ticks CBSE, ICSE Class 12 evaluation plan in lieu of exams

Krishnadas Rajagopal Updated - December 06, 2021 at 07:22 AM.

CBSE says results by July 31; Court wants dispute resolution, timeline of results, physical exam

The Supreme Court on Thursday gave in-principle clearance to the schemes placed on record by the CBSE and the ICSE to assess the final marks of Class 12 students whose board exams were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The CBSE has divided the assessment process into two components — theory and practical. The theory component would be assessed by giving 30 per cent weightage to average scores obtained by a student in Class 10 in three best performing subjects out of a total five; 30 per cent weightage will be given to marks based on the theory component of Class 11 final exam; and 40 per cent weightage for marks obtained in one or more unit tests, mid-term exams and pre-Board exams in Class 12.

So, if the total marks for theory is 80, the 30 per cent weightage of Classes 10 and 11 would be 24 marks each. The 40 per cent weightage derived from performance in tests conducted in Class 12 would translate to 32 marks.

For the practical component, it would be the “actual” marks uploaded by schools on the CBSE portal. Per the scheme, the total marks awarded should be in consonance with the past performance of the school in Class 12 board examinations.

Result Committee

A Result Committee will be formed in each school, headed by the principal with two senior most post-graduate teachers and two post-graduate teachers from neighbouring school(s). The CBSE will establish a help desk and provide software support to prepare the result. The CBSE said it would declare the results by July 31.

In case a candidate is not satisfied with the assessment, the student will be given an opportunity to appear in the examinations to be conducted by the Board when the situation is more “conducive”.

“Most candidates will be happy with this scheme… When there is a manageable number, you can consider holding a physical exam later,” a Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari told Attorney-General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Union of India, which controls CBSE.

CISCE assessment

The formula of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination will consider a student’s Class 10 ICSE Board exams, project and practical work, best marks obtained in Classes 11 and 12 and the best performance of the school itself in the past six years.

“The situation CBSE and ICSE faced was unprecedented. We had to innovate. A committee of 13 experts went through numerous alternatives to finally decide on this policy,” Venugopal submitted.

He said the Committee, led by Vipin Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, met principals of CBSE-affiliated schools. Feedback was got from 229 Sahodaya Complexes, comprising 7,734 schools, on the policy that will determine the future of some 14.5 lakh Class 12 students.

Court riders

The court asked Venugopal to “incorporate” two suggestions. “First, provide an in-built dispute resolution mechanism for students unhappy with their assessment. Second, specify the timeline for the declaration of results and the date by which the optional (physical) exams would be conducted,” said Justice Khanwilkar.

The court declined a plea by some intervenors, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh, to revisit its earlier order recording the government’s decision to cancel Class 12 exams.

But the court, while asking the CBSE and ICSE to go ahead with their schemes, scheduled the case again on June 20 to give some intervenors, including Singh, a chance to study the schemes and come up with any suggestion.

 

 

Published on June 17, 2021 09:54