Parents cry foul over lack of uniformity in internal assessment

Even as the State government attributed the high pass percentage in SSLC exam results to the newly introduced system of Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), several parents in the City protested against the pattern of exam, this year.

A group of parents staged protests in front of Carmel School in Padmanabhanagar on Wednesday, demanding the principal why their children were given low marks in internal assessment.

As part of CCE, students are assessed for various activities throughout the academic year. This includes project work and co-scholastic activities. While the co-scholastic activities are not included for the overall percentage, the project work, that is part of the internal assessment has a direct bearing on the scores.

Parents contended that the internal assessment in Carmel School was done in an unfair manner as their children had put a lot of effort for the projects, which was not reflected in the marks allotted to them.

Shanti, a parent, said her son lost up to 25 marks in the internal assessment. “This is unfair. There is another child who we know, studying in a government school, has secured complete 20 marks in each subject in the internal assessment.

In government schools, teachers have been lenient with internal marks. My son’s classmates too slogged for their projects. But they got poor marks in internal assessment. The children of Carmel school will be at a disadvantage for PUC admissions. If my son had gotten those 25 marks in internal assessment, his percentage would be above 90 percent,” she rued.

'Students aware of marks'
The Block Education Officer South Zone I, Prakash K told Deccan Herald that the students were aware of the internal exam marks ahead of the annual exam. He explained that a three-man committee reviewed the internal exam marks in each school.

This committee, comprising a Class II officer, a resource person and a person who has undergone training on CCE, will cross check the internal marks given by the school. This committee was constituted at the BEO level. Prakash said he had examined the committee report.

“Once the committee submits the report it is sent to the DDPI and then to the KSEEB. The marks are shown to the student before the committee forwards it to the BEO. The student has to put his or her signature too,” the BEO explained.

Following the protests, the BEO said he would constitute another committee on Thursday to look into the issue.