JOIN USBangalore ICSE schools may adopt positive CBSE reforms
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) saw a series of reforms over the past four years. With most CBSE schools responding enthusiastically to these reforms, it seems that the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) schools too would now like to follow suit.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development initiated reforms such as optional grade 10 examination, the grading system, continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE). And, the latest in the pipeline is the ‘open book policy’.
Speaking with Deccan Herald about the latest reforms, Gayathri Devi, a senior member of the Karnataka ICSE Association, appreciated the reforms made by the CBSE. “All the new ‘reforms’ made by the CBSE are for the better and some have always existed in the ICSE system in its own way,” she said.
“Something like the open book exams are just one of the many methods used in internal assessments in ICSE institutions. The decision to implement these teaching methods lie in the hands of the institutions’ authority.”
The ICSE board has been conducting seminars regularly involving the schools in order to discuss the possibility of introducing reforms. Jayashree Ramesh, head mistress, Kumaran’s Children Home said that in a recent seminar, the Board seemed keen about the new reforms by the CBSE and, a discussion on the open book system was also taken up.
Many ICSE schools in Bangalore have tried to bring in some reforms on their own. Girija Hedge, principal, Bharatiya Vidyalaya said: “The CCE and grading system are already in place in our institution.
Twenty per cent of a student’s total score comes from their internal assessments for general subjects and 50 per cent from electives. We have also implemented the grading system, it is not just for the senior school, but also for lower grades. Both the systems ensure a less competitive and a stress-free study environment.”
It is not just the grading system and the CCE that have received an enthusiastic response. Many schools seemed considerably excited about the open book system too. “The system might not be implemented right away. But, it could be a reality after some time,” said Jayashree Ramesh.
H N Usha of Oxford English School had similar views and believed that the reforms would definitely help students, preventing them from becoming “mugpots”. “It will make students think more effectively and logically. Questions will be more application-based, in some ways making students smarter,” she said.
The optional grade 10 exam, however, was viewed with much skepticism by these schools. Girija Hegde said: “The optional grade 10 exams will dilute the examination system.”