Schools say the CBSE’s decision to not award any division or distinction in class 10 and 12 board exams is a welcome step towards easing the pressure on performance in students.
"It is a fitting follow-up to last year’s decision of not issuing any merit list of students nor making announcements of toppers. Assessments, when gauged from the lens of divisions and distinctions, may end up demoralising the underperformers," Shalini Nambiar, Director Principal, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Ghaziabad told Moneycontrol.
CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said the Board does not calculate, declare or inform the percentage of marks.
"No overall division, distinction or aggregate of marks shall be awarded. Also, if a candidate has offered more than five subjects, the decision to determine the best five subjects may be taken by the admitting institution or employer," said CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj.
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However, some schools have raised scepticism over the impact the decision will have on the performance of the students.
Aishwarya Rao, Director of The Vivekalaya Group of Institutions believes the glory, aspiration and pride in securing a top score are not only one of merit but also signify intelligence, skill and determination.
"We need to keep students driven to achieve. This new development might dampen students who are high achievers and we need to continually motivate them," she said.
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While Alka Kapur, Principal of Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh said the shift towards individual subject performance may encourage students to focus more on understanding and mastering each subject rather than relying on overall grades, she also believes the removal of divisions and distinctions may also create challenges for students who excel in certain subjects but struggle in others.
“Their strengths may get less prominence than is possible in the conventional system of assessment,” Kapur added.
Gearing up for change
It is informed that the Board does not calculate/declare/inform the percentage of marks. If the percentage of marks is required for higher education or in employment the calculation if any, may be done by the admitting institution or employer.
Earlier, the CBSE also did away with the practice of issuing merit lists to avoid unhealthy competition.
Shiv Nadar School said it would need to wait and see how universities align with this proposal, as the exit requirements from school will always be influenced by entry requirements at the college/university level.
“We will continue to develop our assessments and reporting in line with the NEP and the global best practices. Reporting structures and formats will need to follow real-world requirements,” said Anju Soni, Principal of Shiv Nadar School, Noida.
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Experts say schools will have to develop an entirely new format of learning system, which will not be solely driven by assessments.
“This will require teams to identify and resolve some key issues concerning the pace of teaching the wide syllabus, incorporating richer techniques of conversation and collaboration in the classroom, and above all, changing the mindset of all the stakeholders of the school - teachers, parents and students,” said Pankaj Sharma, President of The Lexicon Group of Institutes.
He said the institute has to counsel our team to understand that the purpose of eliminating these divisions from the mark sheets does not mean “we are not expecting them to do their best; we are simply relieving them of the mental pressure to enable them to make the most of their learning.”
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