‘No-detention & boards don’t go hand in hand’

CHANDIGARH: While it is the second year since CBSE’s board exams returned in Class X, the students are still a worried lot as they are finding it difficult to memorise the complete syllabus in one go. These pupils studied under the semester system till Class VIII and were not graded based on academics alone.


On the other hand, Class XII students are also feeling the heat as they will be appearing in board examination for the first time.

According to the school authorities, instead of bringing back boards in Class X at once, the MHRD should have first done away with the nodetention policy and brought in the ‘uniform assessment system’ for the junior classes. This way the students would have been able to remember all the yearly syllabus starting from junior classes. As a result, the schools are not expecting much improvement in Class X results this year too. “The learning gap created over the years cannot be filled in just one academic session of Class X. We keep promoting a child irrespective of his performance in the junior classes and then suddenly expect him/her to pass the Class X boards with flying colors. Only There must be a common approach regarding this and for that the no-detention policy should be done away with,” said Ritu Bali, principal, Ajit Karam Singh International School, Sector 41, Chandigarh.

A government school teacher requesting anonymity said, “The students in class XI are used to the semester system and are a product of the no-detention policy, thus, the result is not going to be any different unless the rule is shunned. Moreover, on one side they want the students to prepare for boards in classes IX and X but continue following the semester system till Class VIII. This hinders them from getting accustomed to the pattern.”

Aarti Malhotra, a teacher from Saupin’s School, Sector 32, said, “Being in this profession for the past 22 years, I have realized that there are certain children who take studies too lightly and are extremely non-serious where academics are concerned. Instead of putting them under immense stress for Class X boards where negative thoughts can overwhelm them, it is better to detain such students in the junior classes to prevent them from taking any drastic measures after the board results. Nodetention and boards don’t go hand in hand.”

Difficulty in learning full syllabus at once

Though students were exposed to board exam patterns in Class IX, many are still finding it difficult to remember the entire syllabus. “Till Class VIII we studied as per the semester system, but now we have to memorise the entire syllabus and also score well. Last year, CBSE was lenient and changed the passing criteria, but now we have to pass in both practical and theory parts. This will affect our performance,” said Bhavsheel Goel, a Class X student.Checking by external examiners worries them too. “Last year the boards became compulsory for 10th graders with the syllabus being increased to full textbooks. Due to this, it has become harder to focus on studies. I am also worried about the fact that our papers would be checked by an external examiner,” said Parth Shrivastava, a Class X student.“Though I feel confident and prepared for the exams, memorizing and retaining information of 20-21 chapters of vast subjects like social science is a huge challenge,” said another Class X student Prannat Jain.

Boards debut for Class XII students

Present 12th graders are getting nightmares over their first attempt at the board exams this year while coping with the vast syllabus at the same time. Moreover, nonmedical students were at the receiving end because they had to prepare for IIT-JEE Mains which was held in January.

“For Class XII non-medical students, it has been all the more difficult with the JEE Mains exam in January. As per the date sheet, the twoday gap between the English and Physics exam seems too little for most of the students. Two days are barely enough to go through the entire syllabus,” rued Rajni Chandan, principal, Dikshant International School, Zirakpur.