Schools should not limit students' options after class X by either insisting that all of them take the school-based examination or urging students who take the Board examination to leave the school, according to Vineet Joshi, chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
Speaking to The Hindu here on Monday, he said the reforms in class X examinations were aimed at making the system more flexible and schools should not misinterpret the guidelines for administrative convenience. “The Board has become more flexible, but some schools are yet to become as flexible.”
While the CBSE says that “only those candidates are expected to be taking the Board conducted SA2, who are leaving the CBSE system after class X”, schools cannot interpret it as having said that students who take the Board examination should necessarily opt out of the stream, Mr. Joshi explained.
Fees
On the issue of some affiliated schools increasing their fees, Mr. Joshi said the Board very clearly states that the fee charged should be commensurate with the facilities.
The fees should normally be charged under the heads prescribed by the Department of Education of the State, he said clarifying that the Board did not say anything about the amount to be charged. No capitation fee or voluntary donations for gaining admission in the school or for any other purpose should be charged or collected in the name of the school, he said.
“The schools should consult parents before revising the fees and the fee should not be revised during the mid session,” he said.
Parents could contact the Board through its website (www.cbse.nic.in) and report cases of schools violating these norms, Mr. Joshi said.
Teacher training
Speaking on strengthening the CCE, he said the Board was now focussing on training processes to equip teachers to carry out formative assessments with more objectivity. The CCE requires students to be assessed throughout the year, through formative and summative assessments.
“We want to tell teachers that it is not necessary that all formative assessments be taken into account. Some can be used purely for purposes of diagnosis. We are asking schools what tasks they give children to carry out formative assessment. The purpose is lost if we put undue pressure on children,” he said.
The Board has also prepared a new teachers' manual to train them to evaluate co-scholastic areas. Parent advocates of the CCE will be encouraged to network among more parents and act as a via media to facilitate dialogue between the Board and parents.
