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Class 12 marks: Fair, reasonable formula

No formula can be considered perfect in assessing the merit of students
Last Updated 22 June 2021, 20:15 IST

The finalisation of a formula by the CBSE to evaluate the Class 12 students who went without a board examination this year has put an end to the anxieties of lakhs of students and their parents. The Supreme Court, which had directed that an assessment scheme be found at the earliest, had accepted the formula. The court approved it again on Tuesday. The ICSE Council has also evolved a similar system. State school boards will soon follow suit. At least four states have not taken a decision on cancelling the examinations; they will have to do it soon. According to the present formula, students will be graded on a 30:30:40 ratio for theory. Class 10 marks and Class 11 marks will get 30% weightage each and Class 12 school tests will be given 40% weightage. Schools may have some leeway on how they reckon practicals or internal assessment.

No formula can be considered perfect in assessing the merit of students. Even the examinations that could not be conducted could not have measured the students’ merit correctly, and there have been persistent demands for a change of the system. The relative weightage given to the marks in Class 10 and Class 11 examinations may be questioned on various grounds like their relevance and efficacy. It may be pointed out that the students did not take these examinations in the knowledge that their performance in them would count in judging their Class 12 performance. It is also true that the new scheme does not take into consideration the differences between schools in infrastructure, teaching and internal assessment systems. Uniformity may be affected because the school result committees that will decide on Class12 marks may take different factors into consideration. Many students may have been disadvantaged because of the lack of or poor access to study materials and online classes during the lockdown.

But no formula would have satisfied everyone completely and there would always be some who would feel aggrieved. Overall, however, the formula seems to be fair in the given circumstances and there is no major criticism of it. The provision that students could take a Class 12 public examination at a later date, when the situation is conducive, to achieve a higher score is well thought out, as it gives students a second chance. The challenge now is to implement the scheme transparently and efficiently without giving rise to complaints. The results have to be declared by July 31. Issues related to admission for professional and other coursers will arise later. The plan to conduct entrance tests for some courses will again present another set of problems, especially because there are fears about a third wave of the pandemic occurring in a few weeks.

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(Published 22 June 2021, 19:27 IST)

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