New Education Policy: Semester-Styled Board Exams for Schools Across India?

With the final draft of the New Education Policy in the process of being finalised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), India is set to witness huge changes in its Education Industry. One such change that has been proposed by the MHRD is removing the “high stakes” element of the board exams by allowing the students to attempt board examinations twice a year.

Among the changes proposed for the board examinations, with the implementation of the New Education Policy, the students will be allowed to choose the subjects of their choice, to attempt their board examinations in. Here are some of the changes sought to be brought in with the New Education Policy.

School Education Changes in New Education Policy (NEP)

The New Education Policy is set to change the course of the education industry, after its implementation. Here are some of the school education changes in the New Education Policy.

• Students will be allowed to take Board Exams twice in an academic year.

• Students will be allowed to pick their own subjects for the Board Examinations based on their interests.

Effects of the Proposed Changes in New Education Policy

With respect to the above-mentioned changes, there are various effects of the proposed changes in the New Education Policy. Many stakeholders have shared their opinion on the changes in school education in India.

As per NEP, to facilitate transformation in the student development assessment strategy, the New Education Policy will shift the education system that will shift from a method that evaluates rote memorization skills to a method that will facilitate a more formative, competent, learning and development based system for the students. It adds that the system will evaluate a higher order of skill sets like conceptual clarity, critical thinking and analysis.

It further adds that the New Education Policy has been designed to remove the “harmful effects of the present system of evaluation. It states that NEP believes in conducting Board exams to evaluate the core capacities of the school students. This has been done so to help those school students who have been making the essential efforts in classes to pass the equivalent subject’s board exams without a lot of efforts.

Also Read: President Ram Nath Kovind: New Education Policy Will Transform India into a Knowledge Superpower

Stakeholders Point of View on the Proposed Changes

The changes that have been proposed in the final draft of the New Education Policy is inevitably going to affect its stakeholders. Many of the stakeholders have taken the opportunity to speak out their thoughts and doubts regarding several fo the changes. With regards to the school education system changes that have been proposed in the New Education Policy, the stakeholders have raised both concerns and approval of the proposed changes. Here are some of the Stakeholders Point of View on the proposed changes.

• A Principal from one of the Government Schools in Delhi, while talking to the media about the situation, pointed out that the students will become too confident and stop taking boards seriously. The Principal further stated that the amount of work that will befall at the administrative level will also increase. The amount of time available to the students will also reduce, thus directly affecting the performance of the students. This thought was also shared by a parent of a student studying in CBSE class 10.

• Another stakeholder, spoke to the media, stating that the move is a student-friendly decision by the MHRD. The stakeholder stated that this will reduce the burden on the students while reducing their fear of boards and making them more confident as well.

• A stakeholder commented that exams behave like an opportunity for students to learn life-skills. He added that the school exams should teach the students to be more confident and concentrate better on their goals. He states that students should learn how to deal with the ups and downs of life through the results of exams.

Throughout the developmental process of the New Education Policy, the various stakeholders of the education industry have raised their suggestions and comments on the changes that have been proposed by the Ministry.

Board examinations in India have always been a system where the students work towards achieving the highest marks possible. The competition has always been about who can score the highest in their board examinations. As per the statements of the Government, the New Education Policy has been designed to remove the tag from examinations. One cannot be 100% assured of the results of a policy before it has been implemented. However, one can study the implications of various changes in the system.

As per the changes that have been proposed in the New Education Policy, it is possible for the students to become lethargic in their preparation strategies for boards. However, the on-going fear of boards may also result in a completely opposite result as well.

As per Former Chairperson of CBSE, Ashok Ganguly, the New Education Policy talks of the "semesterization of Boards". He also adds that the implementation of the system in large education boards like CBSE is yet to be witnessed.

Also Read: New Education Policy May Phase Out M.Phil as a Degree

In short, in theory, the New Education Policy should be a success, reducing the stress of education on the students, while also assessing the new avenues of education like critical thinking and analysis. However, practical results can only be seen once it has been implemented.