NEP draft suggests holding board exams for Grades 3, 5 and 8

NEP draft suggests holding board exams for Grades 3, 5 and 8

If the New Education Policy is approved and implemented then students from classes 3, 5 and 8 will have to appear for the board-like exams. However, these tests will only be summative and formative. One of the rationales behind this is that board exams are held only in class 10th and 12th. The draft, which is currently in the public domain has pointed out the drawbacks of the board exams in their current format. The policy underlines that students of class 10th and 12th feels enormous pressure during their board year and this has given birth to the harmful culture of the coaching. Everything else takes a backseat in the students’ life during these two years. "In particular, real understanding, thinking, analysing, doing, and learning takes a secondary seat to mugging, rote learning, and obtaining coaching for performing on these life-altering examinations," says the draft policy. Another drawback of these exams is that students are forced to concentrate only on a few subjects which is against the principles of holistic development. To address such drawbacks, the policy has suggested overhauling the entire board examination system. The draft says that board exams should test the students’ core capacities instead of accessing a few months of rote learning. "The goal will be to be flexible, like the curriculum, and to design the Board Examinations so that any student attending classes in their chosen subjects and making basic efforts in these classes will be able to comfortably pass their Board Examinations..." The policy also suggests to eliminate the high stakes in the board exam and allow students to appear for the exams twice in a given academic year.

source https://www.brainbuxa.com/education-news/nep-draft-suggests-holding-board-exams-for-grades-3-5-and-8-9585