CBSE Students of Class 10 won't have enough time for exams

Schools will have to conduct their final exam for Class 10 students during the second half of March, says a new circular from the CBSE dated January 19. This is the first year that Class 10 students were given the choice of appearing for the school-conducted final exam instead of the CBSE board


exam, held on March 1. In Maharashtra, 25% of Class 10 students have opted to take the school final exam. The board also emphasised that schools cannot inform students directly of their scores.
"Kindly note that schools will not communicate the marks of a summative assessment - II (final exam) to the candidates of Class 10 under any circumstances," said the circular. "The board will declare the results in May with the results of the board-based summative assessment-II and will issue the uniform certificate to every student." Schools will have to conduct their second summatives (final exam) for Class 9 in the first half of March.

The board will send compact discs containing question banks from which schools can design their own question papers. In case a school wishes to set its own paper, they will have to be pre-approved by the board.

"This is to ensure that the same standard is maintained," said Avnita Bir, principal of RN Podar School, Santacruz. "Now we will have to figure out how to handle our exam schedules since those taking the board exam will be begin two weeks earlier."