Don't give CBSE merit certificates, say principals

‘Giving such certificates to class 10 students create unhealthy competition’

School principals have demanded withdrawal of additional merit certificates given by the Central Board of Secondary Education to children who clear class 10 board examinations.

They say CBSE’s move is creating unhealthy competition among children.

These certificates are given to children who score a perfect 10 Grade Point Average (GPA) in addition to their board scores.

The CBSE guidelines state, “The board will award merit certificates in each subject to the top 0.1 per cent candidates passing that subject, provided they cleared the exam as per CBSE’s pass criteria. The number of merit certificates in a subject will be determined by rounding of the number of candidates passing the subject to the nearest multiple of thousand. If the number of candidates passing a subject is less than 500, no merit certificate will be issued.”

School authorities say merit certificates have made children too competitive, which seems to be defeating the purpose of making learning easier.

Hindering creative side

“The CBSE grade system was introduced to ensure that children celebrate learning rather than feel burdened about scoring the perfect 10. This merit certificate brings in unhealthy competition among children. This is preventing them from developing their creative side,” said Ameeta Wattal, vice chairperson of National Schools’ Progressive Conference (NSPC) and principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road.

M I Hussain, principal of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, said, “The schoolchildren compare their scores with others and argue that we should not give them less points. This is discouraging children from being rational and logical.”

Some principals say that even if CBSE decides to continue with this process, coordination among school teachers and board authorities is vital.

“There is no uniform grading system. For instance, if we give a child nine points in history, the board will either give him eight or 10. We have to coordinate to ensure that the child gets what he or she deserves. Otherwise when students seek an explanation, we won’t be able to answer them,” said Sharmistha Sanyal, a teacher at Mother’s International School, Sri Aurobindo Marg.

L V Sehgal, chairman of NSPC, said merit certificates are helping children work towards a better future.

‘Good initiative’

“It is a good initiative. Children take pride in getting these certificates. We will have to make students understand that they need to compete with themselves and not compare their scores with others. This will help in creating a better learning environment,” he said.

CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said he will discuss the matter with authorities soon.