On Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia recommended that the board exams for class 10 and 12 should be discontinued after the rollout of the new National Education Policy (NEP). He further suggested that the government must introduce multi-year stage-wise classes and external assessment at the end of each stage.
During the 57th General Council Meeting of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) chaired by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and attended by state education ministers, Sisodia pointed out that the ‘5+3+3+4′ model recommended in the NEP can attain its full potential if the existing one year per grade system is removed.
“It means, instead of an existing class system where all children of a class move together in all subjects despite being at different learning levels, the multi-year stage will help a child move as per their learning need in different subjects at their own pace. A stage-wise curriculum with a clearly stated learning goal in terms of knowledge, skills, and values be created,” the Delhi’s Education Minister Sisodia said.
“Going by the logic of the stage, after the full roll-out of NEP, class 10 and 12 board exams should also discontinue. The existing board exams made sense in the 10+2 model but not in 5+3+3+4. Retaining two board exams in one last stage will dilute the significance of the first three stages in the school life of children,” he added.
Further, Sisodia noted that when the mandate of the National Testing Agency (NTA) is to conduct entrance exams for admissions in higher education institutions, there is no need for class 12 board exams.
“Transformation should be holistic and not piecemeal. Instead of an existing class system where all children of a class move together in all subjects despite being at different learning levels, the multi-year stage will help a child move as per their learning need in different subjects at their own pace. We recommend a stage-wise curriculum with a clearly stated learning goal in terms of knowledge, skills, and values,” he added.
