IN A move that most people have welcomed, the Government finally cancelled the Class 12 CBSE board exams this year amid the pandemic crisis. This brings an end to a long and anxious wait for millions of CBSE students across the country and beyond. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced after chairing a crucial meeting that the exams have been decided to be cancelled keeping in view the health concerns of students and the need to ensure their safety. PM Modi said that the decision on the Class 12 CBSE board exams had been taken in the interest of students due to the uncertain situation created due to the pandemic. The Prime Minister was briefed about all the possible options for Class 12 students. A review meeting was held to discuss the fate of the CBSE and other State board exams amidst the pandemic.

 

Officials gave a detailed presentation to the PM on the wide and extensive consultation held so far and views received from all stakeholders, including the State Governments. During the key meeting of PM Modi with Union Ministers and other officials, it was also decided that CBSE will take steps to compile the results of Class 12 students as per a “well-defined objective criteria” in a time-bound manner. “Class XII results will be made as per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner,” the PM said. In a tweet, he wrote, “Government of India has decided to cancel the Class XII CBSE Board Exams. After extensive consultations, we have taken a decision that is student-friendly, one that safeguards the health as well as the future of our youth.” The Prime Minister stated that coronavirus had affected the academic calendar and the issue of Board Exams had been causing immense anxiety among students, parents and teachers, which must be put to an end. “The health and safety of our students is of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect,” the PM said.

 

He said in today’s time, such examinations cannot be the reason to put our youth at risk. “Students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation,” PM Modi said, adding that all stakeholders need to show sensitivity for students. Following this call, several States have also cancelled their State board exams. The PM’s statement encapsulates the sentiments of students in the best possible idiom. The pattern of conventional exams that we adhere to, gives too much stress to the rote-learning method and marks are considered the cornerstone of excellence, that, in turn, subdues the other talents of children and makes them uni-directional in their professional pursuits. That is why, giving too much importance to exams is a wrong educational concept in the modern era. The Government has been trying for long to make seminal changes in the new education policy and give due importance to life skills and vocational attributes as well, so that our dependence on marks as the only sign of intelligence is reduced and our future generations are more flexible and better equipped to adapt to real-life challenges. The pandemic has taught us many things and it has now also given us the opportunity to see what shape life takes without the process of conventional exams.

 

There are multiple other and more modern ways of assessment of a student’s capabilities that many parts of the world are adopting with their departure from the conventional methods, and India also needs to look forward towards newer innovative methods of judging student talent. We fall behind several other countries when it comes to cognitive abilities of our students because our exams don’t really test that and our school syllabuses also don’t foster original thinking and problem-solving acumen. It is time to change all that and the continuation of exams in the conventional British-laid pattern has to be rethought. It was tailored for a particular purpose by the rulers for their subjects and the needs of the time were way different from the world we live in today. Despite drastic changes in all spheres of life over the last 50 years or so, our education pattern and the way of assessment have remained the same, which limits the scope and possibility as well as purpose of education.

 

It narrows the field of vision and exploration for the child and thus limits his potential. We need to shake off the obsolete colonial hangovers and prepare for a future that is based on our knowledge, culture, beliefs and traditions. Board exams are always a time of immense pressure on children, which is detrimental to their mental and physical health. Moreover, many of the things taught in the syllabus and which are written in the exams are useless in practical life. This is where all the hard work of students goes. All life’s future progress is based on this result. So many of our children commit suicide every year due to the mental pressure of ‘performing’ that the process entails and enforced by anxious parents. These youngsters might be great music talents or sports talents or painters in the making, but their lives are cut short just because they score a few marks lesser than expected.

 

The only yardstick a young boy or girl is measured by is his or her percentage in the board exam, which is a sickening idea we accept without questioning. The whole system of cut-offs and admissions in colleges need to change to give the young more breathing space. We need to understand that not all of our kids need to be engineers or doctors. Each child is unique and a power pack of potential. We need to give them the space and time to explore their potential and do good in the field they are passionate about. There are many things that cannot be measured by marks in school exams. The PM has adopted a progressive outlook and prepared the country to embrace change. By the way, in the years to come, we may eventually see the end of board exams, only to be replaced by more stimulating and more invigorating assessment concepts that will do a world of good not only to students but also the country and its future prospects.