Grade V and VIII students perform well in assessment exam in Karnataka

MANGALURU: The class V and VIII students, who appeared for the assessment exam that was held for the first time in the state, have done well, according to school heads and teachers. They said that this exam has helped both teachers and students to learn about their academic strengths, apart from aiding students who have underperformed academically, and to prepare better in the coming academic year.
The results for the candidates in classes V and VIII were announced on Saturday and Monday, respectively. The department of school education and literacy had introduced examinations for schools that have the state board syllabus.
A head of a government school, who observed how the class V students performed, said that a majority of them were able to score above 30 marks out of 40. The exam was for 50 marks, with 10 marks reserved for the oral exam.
“Except for the Kannada exam, students found all the other exams easy. All the questions were from the Kalika Chetarike, and model question papers helped students,” the school head added.
The head also pointed out that though the assessment exam was to be a serious affair, students were not serious about it in government schools. “The students could have done well, but they were aware that they would be promoted to the next class, whether they passed or failed. This was one of the drawbacks,” he added.
Another head of an aided institution added that the exam was a positive development, and it turned out to be a “report card”, and not a “progress card”.
“We are now aware of which students studying in class VIII have learning issues, based on their assessment marks. Now we can work on them, and prepare well for the SSLC examination. We can concentrate on them more. Earlier, it was not possible to assess their performance, since there was no such exam,” the head pointed out, adding that some students had scored below 25.
The teachers and heads of the institution agreed that though the exam was conducted in a short time, it was well organised. “However, we want the government to plan the exam and announce the same at the beginning of the academic year. This will help both students and schools to prepare well in advance. They will not face confusion,” expressed a senior teacher.
Rajalakshmi K, principal and DDPI (development) , DIET, Mangaluru, who was in charge of the assessment exam, said that parents and students have been given their answer sheets to check their performance.In the next phase, DIET will conduct a results analysis.