| DAULAT RAHMAN | ||
Guwahati, Feb 5 : The Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) has decided to introduce a grading system, as part of an ambitious move to revamp school education and assess the academic performance of students. The board has already started work on the project and is holding discussions with experts and educationists about the pros and cons of the system. SEBA secretary D. Mahanta told The Telegraph that the initiative had been taken following a recommendation of the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) to do away with the marking system. He said some boards, including the Nagaland Board of School Education, had already adopted the grading system. The COBSE provides a common platform for mutual consultation to reinforce the quality of school education. It provides support to its member boards across the country to bring about changes in various fields, including examination reforms. It considers the marking system in examinations as redundant in the present education system as it does not do justice to a student’s merit. While Mahanta did not give a timeframe for the system, SEBA sources said it might be launched from the 2010-2011 session, at the earliest. “It is not easy. There is a lot of work to be done before the change can be given effect,” one of the sources said. “It is time for SEBA to follow the grading system as it was found to be the most scientific and accurate system of evaluation of academic brilliance of students. We have to change with time. After studying and preparing the details of the grading system, SEBA will submit the proposal to the state government for approval. Finally, it will be the state government which will have to take the decision,” Mahanta said. The sources said the board has been facing criticism from different quarters, including the influential All Assam Students’ Union over alleged anomalies in the allotment of marks to students in the high school leaving certificate examination in recent years. There have been instances in the past when the board was dragged to the court by the candidates for poor allocation of marks, which had put their careers at stake. “The grading system would do away with confusion and controversy over performance of students in the HSLC examination. The merit of a student, missing a slot in the first division under the present system by one mark, would be considered equivalent to a first division holder under the grading system. “Under the grading system, there would be no disparity as such,” another SEBA official said. The official said the board was also facing competition from the Central Board of Secondary Education with some leading schools in Assam changing affiliation in favour of the central board. “SEBA has to do something innovative to attract students. A massive exercise, including training of teachers, will have to be carried out before introduction of the grading system,” the source said. |
SEBA opts for grades over marks
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