Govt to overhaul CBSE exam system: Anil Swarup

BHUBANESWAR: Major changes are likely in the examination pattern of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from next academic session said union school education secretary Anil Swarup here on Monday. A committee formed to suggest reforms in the school system headed by former MHRD secretary V S Oberoi has submitted its report to the government on Saturday and suggested the use of technology for making the system full-proof.
“We formed a high-powered committee headed by former MHRD secretary V S Oberoi to give suggestions to improve the system and make it full-proof. The committee has submitted its report to the government on the day before yesterday (Saturday) in which it has given emphasis on the use of technology to check various loopholes in the system. We are examining the suggestions and will implement them from the next academic session,” said Swarup.

Sources said the committee was formed after the alleged leak of question papers during this year’s CBSE class X and XII board exams.

The committee assesses all possible areas of security lapses in the present system in various stages starting from transporting question papers from the printing presses to the examinees. “The committee suggested minimum use of human intervention and optimum use of technology to ensure security in all spheres,” said Swarup.

City schools welcomed the move of the board to use technology and minimise human interactions. “When it comes to the faith and career of students on a system we must take utmost care, be it in terms of use of technology or any other means. The system has to change and upgrade with changing time,” said the president of Confederation of Odisha Public Schools, B N Patnaik.

He said the centre is also planning to set up a National Centre of Excellence in Teaching. “The centre is in a conceptual stage where best teaching practices from across India will be discussed and shared with others. The centre will work on developing our own models of teaching considering the needs and situations of local students instead of following foreign education models in our schools,” he pointed out.

Swarup here on Monday reviewed the implementation of various central schemes in the state. “I am really impressed with the implementation of various central schemes in the state and they have initiated many innovative ideas and use of technology. I would like other states to replicate them like monitoring of MDM through SMS and App and the school monitoring App,” Swarup added.

He suggested the state government should replicate Rajasthan government’s teachers’ monitoring module and Chhattisgarh State Council of Education Research and Teaching’s work in developing textbooks.

He also discussed various projects of different voluntary organisations working in the state and later in the evening attended a meeting of principals organised by the SAI International School here.