Let schools define us with monthly tests, not Board exams

This new rule will be a hindrance to my overall growth as I like getting involved in extra-curriculars and CCE had made that possible.

When Central Board of Secondary Education made Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) compulsory in 2009, I and my classmates were both excited and scared at the same time. The CCE programme was a boon to student who like to focus on extra curricular activities. Those who were good at project work also had an advantage. The best part about it was that the board exams were no longer compulsory.

At that time, teachers and parents scrambled to attend workshops. The programme was not easy to understand. It took a year or two, but CCE became a reality to many of us and I, having lived in this system since the beginning of my school years, knew no system beyond it.

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I am in class 8 right now and every year I have been continuously evaluated at school, from project works and extra curriculars to unit tests and final exams. My cousins, who have experienced the time before CCE, keep telling me how different it was — with no pressure on extra activities and how giving the class 10 boards was like a practice for the class 12 boards.

But the government has made CBSE exams compulsory for class 10 students from 2018.

This new rule may hinder my overall growth as I like getting involved in extra-curriculars and CCE had made that possible. It pulled away from the tradition of heavy focus on academics and gave importance to those subjects and methods that were ignored before.

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I am curious to know how things will change. All I’ve experienced is that in the CCE system, schools were pushed to help us receive an all-round education. With the power of choice on whether to give class 10 board exams or not, we were a little more relaxed. It tested us constantly over the academic term, keeping tabs on how we were evolving in everything, including our morals and behaviour.

This makes sense to me. I would rather be defined by monthly tests that show my progress over the year than a single three-hour exam that will define the rest of my life.

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