How has Covid-19 pandemic affected the education system

Along with other sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on the education sector in India. The structure of schooling and learning changed. Also, teaching and assessment methodologies have changed. Not only the mode of studies, but the entire exam patterns are also changing unexpectedly. Uncertainty hits the admissions from nursery class to professional college. The COVID situation also affects the entrance exams in India. This surely takes a toll on parents and students. 

A few of the examinations of CBSE 10th, 12th Board Exams 2020 were left pending when the schools and colleges closed due to lockdown. The COVID situation is worsening all over the country. Conducting a public exam, exposing lakhs of students in this situation, is not recommended. This made the Board restructure the evaluation and conduction of the remaining exams. 

However, the recent upcoming decisions on board exams create confusion and anxiety among the parents, especially of the tenth and plus two students. Let's evaluate the current situation.

Board Exams Are Getting Cancelled

Due to the alarming increase in the number of coronavirus cases in India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) decided to cancel all the remaining CBSE and ICSE Board examinations for classes 10 and 12. 

Options For Class 10 and Class 12 Students of CBSE Board

The plus two students of CBSE board can either

1. Opt to take the exam later. In this case, the marks obtained in the optional exam will be treated as the final score. Or…

2. Opt to go ahead with the CBSE assessment. CBSE has come out with an assessment scheme, under which students will grade for pending subjects based on board papers they have already written.

However, the tenth standard students have no re-examination option, and the result of the remaining exams rely on the CBSE assessment scheme.

Options For Class 10 and Class 12 Students Of ICSE Board

CISCE has decided to cancel the pending ICSE examination for Class 10, 12 examinations. However, children can opt

• For promotion based on internal assessment. ICSE will release an assessment scheme soon for the students who choose promotion based on internal assessment.

• ICSE Board may conduct exams for both 10th and 12th classes later. 

What These Changes On Final Board Exam Can Mean To Parents And Students

These changes that happen in the board exams are bringing about many concerns and queries from both parents and children. I am a mother of a plus two student. I am also very anxious about the current situation and its effect on the future of my son. 

Students Concerns

All students who are writing the board exams are currently in a fix.  Most of them can’t make out the next step.  As plus two is a crucial year in our education system, they are really worried about how these changes affect their next admission, further education, and career. Here are some of the questions that are causing anxiety to students who appeared for Board exams

• What will be the criteria for internal assessment?

• What is the effect of this marking scheme on students seeking admissions in universities like DU, where cutoffs are way too high?

• How will the undergraduate admissions to different streams be affected?

• How will the Board work out a formula for those students unable to attend internal assessment?

• What about those students who were preparing for other competitive exams, and hence did not treat internals with the required degree of importance?

All these queries are yet to be addressed by the Board.

Parent’s View In This Matter

Nowadays, parents on the same boat have nothing else to discuss other than the impact of the board decision in their child's future. Here are some upcoming comments and concerns:

• Many of them suggest that instead of canceling the remaining exams, the Board could have formulated a scheme where all students could have taken an exam online. This way, all the students will have a single marking scheme. 

• The difficulty levels of the internals are not the same for all schools. Assessing the mark based on internal with varying difficulty levels is not a fair move.

• Many parents point out that different marking schemes for the same exam are not fair to the students as this mark is the base for their next admission, further education, and the career. 

• As the cutoff marks are the final marks, some eligible students may not be able to get through it as the internal marks will greatly influence the final mark.

It is not wise to carry on a normal board exam in the present situation. On the other hand, the board should make sure the new marking scheme will not affect the future of the children as well.