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Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: Having hinted at the possibility of adopting the modalities of the CBSE system for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination, the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) is now studying the question paper pattern and evaluation methods employed by other boards as part of its efforts to revamp the existing system in the state.
KSEAB officials have reportedly been conferring with experts to study the feasibility of adopting practices of other boards in the state.
“There are a lot of differences even in the evaluation methods employed by other boards and those of the KSEAB. While evaluators in Karnataka want answers to be faithful to the content of the textbooks, their counterparts in CBSE and ICSE prefer answers that reflect understanding of the underlying concepts,” an expert who attended a recent meeting of KSEAB told DH.
In fact, experts at the meeting reportedly mooted moving away from textbook-based questions to a model where students’ problem-solving skills and ability to apply concepts could be more thoroughly examined.
Meanwhile, stakeholders are elated at the prospect of KSEAB contemplating adoption of the CBSE system. D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said, “We hope the government takes a positive decision on this issue.”
The association had petitioned both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa, urging them to adopt the CBSE model for the SSLC examination. The rigid system in place in Karnataka was among the reasons for a large number of students failing the SSLC examinations, said Shashi Kumar. “Adoption of the CBSE model will benefit the more than eight lakh students who will appear for the SSLC exams next year,” he added.
Two-tier system
Stakeholders have further called upon the government to actively consider the ‘5+1’ system employed by CBSE, wherein one subject is optional. They further called for the adoption of CBSE’s two-tier system for Mathematics (basic and advanced) that allows students to choose which paper to appear for. While students keen on pursuing careers in science and technology could opt for the advanced paper, the rest could write the basic Mathematics examination, experts argued.