CBSE, West Bengal boards kids relieved, worry for others

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education on Friday issued the formulae to be used to compute the marks for classes X and XII students, whose board exams could not be held owing to the pandemic. CBSE has also given out the formulae for classes X and XII final scores. But students of classes X and XII belonging to premier English-medium schools affiliated to neither of these boards spent another tense day, yet to be told about assessment. The board has submitted the formula to the Supreme Court but is yet to make an announcement.
School heads said for Class X boards candidates, they had been asked to send their marks scored in classes IX and X. Marks secured by Class XII students in classes XI and XII had been sent to the affiliating body, to be used for the final computation. Students in schools, like La Martiniere, the six Loretos, Pratt Memorial, St James’, Heritage School, Ram Mohan Mission, St Augustine’s group, St Thomas’ Kidderpore and many other English-medium institutes are now waiting for an announcement on the formulae.
For Class XII examinees, marks secured in the Class X board exams could be considered apart from the classes XI and XII scores. School heads said the affiliating body might take 10% from Class X board marks, 30% from boards scores of projects and practicals that the institutes could hold on campuses and 60% from class XI and XII school exam scores. This will be judged against the average of the school’s performance for the past six years. “There will be a standard deviation of 5%-6% but that will not affect kids much as their best scores are being considered and it will even out the creases,” said a principal.
Many of these children wrote their pre-boards on campuses, while some took it online. There is bound to be a difference there, too, feel principals. Some, like St Xavier’s Collegiate School and La Martiniere for Girls, mentioned in the report cards whether the exams were held online or offline.
Many kids have been calling up their schools about their fate. “As a lot will depend on our school performance, perhaps a few more years could have been considered to look at our aptitude. We are very tense but we know our board also has our apprehension in mind,” said Avarna Sah, an ISC Loreto student.