The regional office of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will soon be ready with the list of total number of candidates in the region taking the class X Board examination this academic year.
The students are part of the first batch to have a choice about its CBSE class X examination, after it was made optional.
City schools affiliated to the CBSE have submitted their lists of candidates taking the class X Board examination and those opting for the examination conducted by the school to the regional office of the CBSE.
According to the CBSE's regional officer N. Nagaraju, the office is busy consolidating and compiling this data. The actual number of students taking the Board examination will be made known by the end of the month, he said. “We gave schools some time just in case some of the students wanted to change their mind. Now, the changes have been incorporated.”
Some schools say that more students have opted out of the Board examination, while in others, a clear majority has opted to appear for the Board examination.
Principal of Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School Suma Padmanabhan says about 75 per cent of the students in the current class X batch have opted for the examination conducted by the school. “Only about 25 per cent will appear for the Board examination,” she says.
School heads say that most students who are sure of continuing in the CBSE stream want to avoid the pressure associated with taking a Board examination.
In Chettinad Vidyashram, as many as 318 students have opted for the school examination and 262 students, for the Board examination. “More students seem to prefer the examination conducted by the school,” said S .Amudha Lakshmi, principal.
However, there are also schools where almost all students want to appear for the Board examination. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Air Force Station, Selaiyur, is one such.
According to principal S.C. Kani, except five to six students, the nearly-130 class X students have decided to take the Board examinations. “Many parents think that writing a Board examination will give students an exposure to the kind of question papers they can expect in class XII. They consider the experience important,” he said.
Also, many students in his school are sure of leaving the stream after class X. “They will have to take the Board examination,” Mr. Kani said.
External evaluation
Schools heads also said that some students, who will be taking the school-conducted examination, are keen on being evaluated externally to know where they stand. They would take proficiency tests in different subjects, offered by the CBSE in collaboration with institutions such as the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and the Indian Council of Social Science Research.
Schools are awaiting instructions regarding the modalities for conducting the two examinations.
According to the CBSE's regional office, the instructions would be sent soon after the final list of candidates is ready.
