Marks dead, CBSE Std X revolution on

Spending hours tracing the evolution of modern India's political landscape may not appeal to many 15-year-olds. But Michelle Oraa Ali, a Class X Sardar Patel Vidyalaya student, who says she usually "hates" studying, "loved" her social science assignment. She traced changes in Indian politics - from the years of undisputed Congress rule to today's coalition era - not through text-books, but veteran cartoonist R K Laxman's works.

Ali is part of the first batch of an estimated one million Class X Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students who don't have to appear for next year's Board examination. Instead, their performance will be evaluated throughout the year, using innovative activities where students are encouraged to experiment and express themselves, along with traditional pen-paper tests - a combination labelled as Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).

The CBSE reforms - pushed through by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal after years of dithering by successive governments - also include replacing marks with grades to try and reduce cutthroat competition in schooling.For students, the biggest immediate takeaway from the CBSE reforms is a sense of relief, said Veer Singh Chauhan, a teacher at the Delhi government's Sarvodaya school within the President's Estate.

The school is rated one of the best government schools in the capital.

But the reforms could have more long term implications, which students may not see right now, he added.

"With the fear and tension of the all-important Board examination gone, students can focus on learning through the myriad activities we give them, instead of worrying solely about scores," Chauhan said.

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Courtesy: Hindustantimes.com