Class 10 Boards scrapped

Education, as we know it, will never be the same again. From 2011, board exams for Class X in all CBSE schools across the country will be history. In one of the most radical reforms in the education sector, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has introduced the new grading system. "This year there will be boards but instead of marks we will give grades. But from next year, no boards," Sibal said.

The nine-point grading system will work like this: Students with a certain percentage in marks will get an A1 grade with 10 points; those with slightly lower marks will get A2 with 9 points and so on till the grade E which will be considered unsatisfactory. While this may take away the trauma of lakhs of CBSE students petrified of these exams, state boards are free to decide what they opt for. And for students who have to switch to this new system mid-session, the ministry has introduced a system of exam on demand. To ensure a smooth transition, students currently in Class IX are being prepared for the new system which kicks in from 2011 when they will be graded in Class X. They will now be assessed through the year on their knowledge, inter-personal skills, attitude and co-curricular activities by various oral and written tests and their performance in class.

Sibal told NDTV that eventually class XII board exams should also be done away with. "Board exams are not the right measure of talent. Common entrance exams should decide admission in colleges," he said, adding that foreign universities may be asked to implement quotas in India, and that IIMs and IITs must also change their curriculum.

There have been some concerns raised as reaction to Sibal's announcement. Annie Koshi, Principal, St Mary's School said, "There are a huge number of kids that don't go on to Class XI and XII. And these children will need school-leaving examinations because they will join vocational courses and start their lives after Class X. I think the CBSE needs to address the issue that there might be some discrimination apparent in who takes the optional exam and who goes on to Class XI and XII." However, Kapil has said he hopes the move will change the rote system of learning and revolutionise education in the country.