Opinion With Open Book Exams, India goes back to its traditional roots — and closer to being a vishwaguru

These policies break from the conventional norm and spell relief for students like me, who have to battle the year-long build-up of expectations and anxiety and a continuous and comprehensive assessment of their academic progress

The chants have now made way for morning assemblies and the classrooms are adorned with gadgets beckoning us to a future free of the past. (Express Photo/File)

Prapti Das

February 24, 2024 02:07 PM IST First published on: Feb 24, 2024 at 02:07 PM IST

Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced plans to experiment with an open-book system for evaluation in senior secondary education. Some 3,000 years ago, our classrooms were a world in and of themselves. The gurukuls, chatuspadis and pathshalas heralded the start of a new day. From Shilpa Shastra and Arthashastra to Vyama and Dhanurveda — these classrooms were not confined to physical spaces; instead, nature itself was often treated like a vast classroom where learning was a harmonious blend of theoretical knowledge and practical wisdom. Alain Daniélou, a French historian who spent 15 years studying the ancient learning centres in Benares noted this approach to education in ancient India.

These classrooms that shaped Aryabhata, Panini, Shushruta, Patanjali, Charaka and Katyayana were centres of learning where the seeds of an ever-evolving Indian educational system were first sowed. Centuries later, at the dawn of a modern India, the call for a new school day is replaced by the buzz of our alarms. The chants have now made way for morning assemblies and the classrooms are adorned with gadgets beckoning us to a future free of the past. This is the classroom in which many of us have had countless experiences and lessons in life. Today, as I recount the past as a peer in the educational system of our country, I am compelled to rethink what the future holds for me.

Modern education in India began under the shadow of a civilising mission undertaken by the colonial masters. What we learn today as the historical origin of the modern-day curriculum is traced to the Charter Act of 1813, which first commissioned the teaching of modern sciences and the English language in India. Where do Panini and Shushruta and all the treatises on natural sciences and grammar given by them square in this history? It makes me question if the learning traditionally been passed down to us, but inevitably overshadowed by the British mandate, can ever be retrieved.

These questions grew with the onset of the pandemic, the year I was to sit for the CBSE board examinations. 2020 revealed much about the education system, both in India and the world over. The already confined textbook learning was narrowed down to fit the screens of our devices and was missing for those who had no access. The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE 2021-22) by the Ministry of Education had reported dismal learning outcomes as an after-effect of the pandemic. The pandemic made clear a need for change and the National Education Policy of 2022, based on the edifice of Jnana, Vignan, and Jeevan Darshan, marked a paradigm shift.

The NEP strives to foster holistic development and bridge the gap between contemporary and traditional learning methodologies. As a youngster seeking to tailor education to suit my career aspirations, the interdisciplinary approach that the NEP suggests seems like a boon of flexibility and a personalised and engaging learning experience. This brings us back to the classrooms of our past where principles of agriculture were taught under the same roof as astronomy.

Also Read | CBSE’s open book exam experiment: How to make exams about critical thought, not surveillance and anxiety

The new policy for the Indian education system proposes holistic development and goes above and beyond the examination-oriented approach to education in India. It does so by eliminating the traditional 10+2 structure of schooling to a new model of 5+3+3+4, covering the preliminary, intermediate, and secondary education that drives away the ceremonial importance from the Board examinations at the central level.

In this direction, the CBSE most recently rolled out its Open Book Examination (OBE) policy for students of classes 9 to 12, which is scheduled for a test run in November this year. In addition, the Board has also introduced its biannual examination policy for Classes 10 and 12 from next year onwards. The aforementioned policies break from the conventional norm and spell relief for students who have to battle the year-long build-up of expectations and anxiety and a continuous and comprehensive assessment of their academic progress. One of the aspects of the biannual examination policy that resonates with me is the chance to learn from mistakes in a more immediate manner, which I, as pass out of the “Covid batch,” could hardly avail. The feedback from the first set of exams can be used to identify areas of improvement, and the subsequent examinations provide an opportunity to implement these learnings. It is a cycle of growth that seems to align more closely with the dynamic nature of learning, one that is deeply rooted in our traditional ethos of Jnana, Vignan, and Jeevan Darshan, based on wisdom and observation.

With any change, some challenges require a shift in mindset. As we navigate this transformative period, it becomes evident that the journey of education is an ever-evolving one, with the potential for further reform and revaluation. The key lies in embracing change while staying true to the essence of holistic learning that has been a part of our educational heritage for centuries — from the timeless gurukuls to the benches in a convent classroom worn smooth; a change that will inevitably direct India in reclaiming the honour of being a “vishwaguru.”

The writer is currently pursuing her Bachelors from Miranda House, Delhi University