Common assessment exams for classes 5, 8 begin from March 27

Hubballi: The state education department is all set to conduct its common assessment examinations for students of classes 5 and 8 from March 27 onwards, following a high court directive. According to the timetable issued by the department, the exams will conclude on April 1.
The education department decided to conduct a public examination to assess the learning standards of students in classes 5 and 8 for the 2022-23 academic year.
According to a source, exams for first-language papers for both the classes will be held on March 27. This will be followed by the second-language papers on March 28. Environment studies for class 5 students and third-language papers for class 8 students will be conducted on March 29.
The following day, March 30, mathematics exams will be held for both the classes.
On March 31, science exam will be conducted for class 8, while on April 1, social science exam will be held for class 8.
So far as Dharwad district is concerned, the education department has already begun preparations to conduct these exams. A total of 62,969 students will appear for the common assessment examinations in Dharwad.
S M Hudedamani, the Rashtriya Mashyamik Shiksha Abhiyan deputy project coordinator, told TOI that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the learning ability of children had suffered.
In view of that, Kalika Chetarike, a learning recovery programme, was launched to help pupils regain their learning abilities. Now, preparations are on to conduct common assessment exams for students in classes 5 and 8.
Rekha Bhajantri, the subject inspector for English and the nodal officer, said, citing an education department circular: “The question papers have been prepared by the board. While the exams will be conducted at the school level, evaluation will be done at the taluk level.”
Students will be assessed on the prescribed syllabus and under Kalika Chetarike. Each paper will carry 50 marks -- 40 for the pen-and-paper test and 10 marks for oral assessments. In the written exams, 20 marks will be allocated to multiple-choice questions.
Devaraj Nayak Gange, the president of Wisdom Education Academy, Dharwad, said the common assessment examinations will help instil seriousness in the students and enhance the level of competition. Terming the idea of a common assessment a “renaissance”, Gange praised the government’s initiative and said that this will help evaluate students as well as teachers.