CBSE to plug loopholes in evaluation process

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will look into the lacunae in its Class X and Class XII board examination evaluation procedures and rectify them.

It has decided to set up two separate committees to “delve in depth into the problems” related to the evaluation processes being followed by it.

“The first committee will enquire into the process of evaluation and post examination processes to identify and analyse discrepancies and suggest corrective measures to strengthen the process. The second committee will study, analyse and suggest systemic improvements in the evaluation process to make the system robust,” the CBSE said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Both of the committees will comprise senior officials of the board. While the first committee will submit the report within two months of its constitution, the second will present its report along with recommendations to the board within three months, the CBSE added.

This comes after students filed petitions at various courts, including Delhi High Court, questioning the evaluation process of the board and its decision to scrap the system of re-evaluation of the board examinations last year.

The board has also come under criticism for errors in the re-totalling of Class XII board marks.After the declaration of the results of the Class XII board examinations, the CBSE received applications from students for verification of the scores of 2.47% of the total answer scripts evaluated by the examiners.
Of them, error in totalling of marks was found in 0.091% answer scripts.

The CBSE said there was “no pervasive” error in the totalling of marks of answer scripts. “When there are so many errors in totalling, then how many would there be in evaluation,” a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court, recently noted referring to a media report while hearing petitions of the students.

It also directed the CBSE to place before it the decision of its governing body and examination committee to do away with its reevaluation policy, fixing the next date for hearing on June 21.

The CBSE scrapped the process of re-evaluation of Class XII board examination papers following a decision taken by its examination committee and the governing body primarily on the grounds that data suggested that there was no change in marks after re-evaluation in more than 99.98% cases.