Class 12 boards: CBSE sets up 13-member panel to set assessment criteria, report to be submitted in 10 days

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday constituted a 13-member committee to work out an objective criteria for assessment of class 12 students after their board exams were cancelled in view of the pandemic.

The panel will submit its report within 10 days. ''In view of the uncertain conditions due to Covid and the feedback obtained from various stakeholders, it was decided that class 12 board exams of CBSE will not be held this year. It was also decided that CBSE will take steps to compile the results as per a well defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner,'' said CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj, who is also a member of the panel.

''A 13-member committee has been constituted for the purpose. The panel will submit its report within 10 days,'' he added. The members of the panel include--Ministry of Education Joint Secretary Vipin Kumar; Delhi Education Director Udit Prakash Rai; Kenridya Vidyalaya Sangathan Commissioner Nidhi Pandey; Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Commissioner Vinayak Garg; Chandigarh School Education Director Rubinderjit Singh Brar; CBSE Director (IT) Antriksh Johri and CBSE Director (Academics) Joseph Emanuel.

The panel will also have one representative each from UGC and NCERT and two representatives from schools.

The government on Tuesday cancelled the CBSE class 12 board exams amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic across the country with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that the decision was taken in the interest of students and the anxiety among students, parents and teachers must be put to an end. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Modi in which it was decided that the CBSE will take steps to compile the results of Class 12 students according to a well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner.

It was also decided in the meeting that in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them by the CBSE as and when the situation becomes conducive.

The exams were scheduled to be conducted in May-June and were postponed in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The CBSE has already cancelled class 10 board exams and announced an alternative marking policy.

According to the policy, while 20 marks for each subject will be for internal assessment as every year, 80 marks will be calculated on basis of the students' performance in various tests or exams throughout the year.

The weightage in terms of maximum marks for schools which have conducted the tests and exams through the year will be -- periodic test/unit test (10 marks), half-yearly exam (30 marks) and pre-board exams (40 marks).

For class 10, schools have been asked to submit the tabulated marks by June 30 and the result is expected to be declared in July.