CBSE assessment is a good move

The decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to launch a new assessment framework for science, mathematics and English for students of Classes 6-10 is a welcome initiative to improve their comprehension and understanding. It is a part of the CBSE Competency-Based Education Project and aims to replace the existing rote learning model and achieve global standards in assessment in schools over the next 2-3 years, as envisaged in the new National Education Policy (NEP). Students will be encouraged to link their knowledge to everyday problems and their competencies in resolving them would be assessed. The CBSE has had collaboration with some agencies in developing the framework. It has said that the work has already started and some progress has been made, though this claim has to be seen in the context of the knock that the education system has taken during the pandemic times.

Memorisation of alphabets, tables, theorems, poems, passages etc is now the mainstay of education. This makes students dependent on their retention and recall abilities, and their faculties for reasoning and independent thinking go undeveloped. It hurts creativity and encourages linear thinking, and makes it difficult for them to think of multiple solutions to problems. So, a system which helps students to learn naturally and freely and develop their talents and personalities is needed in schools. The CBSE plans to introduce the scheme in 25,000 schools across the country by 2024. It is making preparations for that by setting question papers and assessment models in a phased manner. Assessment designers, test item writers and master trainer mentors are being trained for this. In the first phase, selected Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and some private schools will participate in the programme.

But intentions alone will not make the programme a success. The human and physical infrastructure in the schools will have to be drastically upgraded to implement the programme. Schools, especially government-run schools, are facing a severe shortage of staff. It is estimated that the country as a whole has a shortage of six lakh teachers and one in every six teachers lacks training. Better libraries and maths, science and language labs will have to be provided. The spending on education in the country is only less than 4% of the GDP, much lower than in many other countries. There is a promise to increase it to 6% in the National Education Policy but it is bound to take time, in the light of the financial constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the programme will have to go a long way before making any impact. It should also be remembered that CBSE schools form only a small part of the country’s education system.