Opinion Express View on open-book examinations for Class IX: Not by rote

In a country where high school marks the initiation of a frantic race to elite institutions and coveted streams in higher education, the decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to introduce open-book assessments for students of Class IX from 2026-27 comes as a pedagogically progressive move. Shifting the focus from rote learning to analytical thinking and real-world application echoes the goals of the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. The present proposal aims to integrate it “as part of three pen-paper assessments per term”, covering core subjects like language, mathematics, science and social science. It is also unlikely to be made mandatory at the initial stage. With thoughtful design, open-book examinations (OBEs) can democratise assessment, easing the anxiety many students feel about high-stakes exams.

There are other potential gains. OBEs require creative imagination and a multi-disciplinary focus. At a time when artificial intelligence is rewiring views of dissemination of knowledge, skills and employability, OBEs can nurture independent thought, critical reading, and ethical information use — competences essential beyond classrooms and board rooms. By rewarding comprehension and assimilation over speed and memory, it also stands to recast conventional understanding of success and failure, especially for students who may not excel under time-bound, memory-intensive conditions.

Advertisement

However, the execution of recent educational reforms strikes a note of caution. CBSE’s previous experiment — the Open Text-Based Assessment introduced in 2014 — was shelved in 2017-18, citing a lack of “critical abilities” among students. Rolling out complex reforms like OBEs without first investing in teacher training and equitable access to resources risks repeating past oversights. Analysis of the result of the OBE pilot study, approved in 2023 for Classes IX to XII, shows “scores ranging from 12 per cent to 47 per cent, indicating challenges in effectively utilising resources and grasping interdisciplinary concepts”. This points to the necessity of further ground work to prepare students to meet the challenges of OBE, a lack of which in under-resourced schools, especially in rural areas, may exacerbate inequalities. The reform also arrives amid other changes, including the restructuring of curricula, rationalisation of text books and digital evaluation systems. There is a real danger that too many changes implemented too quickly may dilute impact and overwhelm both educators and students. OBEs hold great promise, and if done right, could make the education system more compassionate, holding space for different kinds of students. What comes next must be purposeful, with a clear-eyed understanding of past failures and current realities.