GSHSEB member wants Class X board to be optional

Executive member Bhaskar R Patel has submitted his six-page suggestion to GSHSEB chairman Hasmukh Adhia. He contends that it would be too much a burden on the students to undergo five board examinations in just three years as the board has decided to introduce semester system in Class XI and XII science stream from the next academic year and cover all the streams in the next three years. Under the semester system,the examinations for all the four semesters — two each in Class XI and XII — would be conducted by the GSHSEB.

Patel says that if the board examination is at all to be held for those interested in joining diploma courses after Class X,the students can be given option of either appearing at the board examinations or the home examinations. So,those intending to go for higher secondary education,instead of joining diploma courses,would have the option not to appear at the board exams and feel relaxed. According to Patel,majority of the students opt for admission to Class XI for pursuing higher education.

Patel,a winner of the Best Teacher Award,says that since the students in Class IX and X would be subjected to continuous evaluation and assessment under the CCA system,there was no need to test them again through the exams conducted by the board.

Besides protecting the students from examination tension and improving the pass percentage leading to rise in literacy rate in the state,the abolition of board examinations would save parents’ hard earned money spent on arranging tuitions and buying guides and helpbooks to score better marks in board exams,he adds.

The move would also make many schools create more infrastructure to start classes for Std XI and XII as the existing higher secondary schools do not have the capacity to accommodate a large number of students passing Class X.