CBSE brings back Class X board exams, three-language formula
21 Dec 2016
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has approved a proposal to reintroduce compulsory Class X board examination from the 2017-18 academic year. The board also approved the reintroduction of the three-language formula in which students will have to learn English, Hindi and another Indian language apart from Hindi.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the CBSE governing body in New Delhi, sources said, adding that the first exam will be conducted in 2018.
The UPA government had in 2011 made Class X board examination for CBSE schools optional under the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system mandated by the Right to Education Act. The exams were replaced with year-round tests and a grading system to reduce pressure on students.
While students preferred the CCE as school exams are considered easier than the board exams, the schools reportedly were against it as couldn't be implemented well in the absence of skilled teachers and dedicated students.
Since the CCE programme was difficult to implement, a large group of principals, teachers and parents favoured the board exam.
In the Class X board exams, 80 per cent weightage will be given to marks scored in the examinations while 20 per cent weightage will be given to school-based evaluation, India Today quoted sources as saying.
Human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar had, earlier, announced making the CBSE board exams compulsory from the academic session 2017-18.
The CBSE board at its meeting also resolved to introduce the three-language formulae up to Class X, and make it compulsory for all schools affiliated with the board, sources said. Currently, CBSE-affiliated schools need to follow the three-language formula only up from Class VI to Class VIII.
The board will be sending a recommendation to the centre to the effect that those languages which are listed in schedule VIII of the Constitution should be taught under the 'three language formula', while languages which are "purely foreign" should be taught as a "fourth language as an elective subject."
