In the wake of the second wave of coronavirus pandemic, theCentral Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday decided to call off theclass 12th board exams of 2021.
The decision to cancel the exams was taken in the high-powered meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to review all thepossible methods of conducting exams.
However, now, the Centre and CBSE has put a full stop tothe confusion and announced “this year Class 12 Board Exams will not take placeas students’ safety is our primary concern.”
Meanwhile, on the results, PM Modi said, “it be preparedon the basis of well-defined criteria, in a fair and time-bound manner.”
Nevertheless, now the question arises of how students willbe assessed for their Class 12th. According to the sources, the resultswill be prepared on the basis of the internal assessment of class 9th,10th and 11th. However, so far, no formula or a particular methodology has beenrevealed by the Ministry to calibrate the results.
If any student is not gratified with the results, thenthey can also be given a chance to appear for the examination once the situationwill be normal.
On one hand the cancellation of Class 12thBoard Exams 2021 has come as a sigh of relief for the students, parentsperhaps, it has its own repercussions too. The students who have plans toappear for the competitive exams are stressed to know on what basis will theyget admission in a college, how it will affect their enrolment.
1. How cancellation of board exams will affect theentrance exam?
As the basis of the results reportedly is said to be an internal assessment of class 9th, 10th, and 11th,it is evident that it would take a minimum of two months. Moreover, if astudent wants to sit in for exams once it would be conducive, he/she will haveto wait. If the result comes late, then the Delhi University’s and otherprominent institutes’ entrance exams will be pushed further. In such asituation, children and parents have to be quite diligent so they can maketheir plans accordingly.
2. What would be its effect on college admission?
Though, PM has announced that the results will be out ina stipulated time, it is not ascertained yet by which date it will be declared.In such a situation, the timeline of admission to colleges will be affected. Thetwo-ways of results declaration mentioned in Point 1 symbolizes that the admission process of institutes that begin in June will e stretched tillOctober-November.
3. How to prepare for entrance exams?
There lies no doubt that a student would secure a seat onthe basis of the entrance exam and for this one must start preparing from now. Apartfrom the core subjects, students must gather knowledge of the areas/disciplinesthey are interested to pursue further. Moreover, students must understand theapplication process of the institute and seek the help of their parents/mentors asthere are few chances to get additional time and facilities.
4. Will it have any effect on the cut-off list releasedfor admission to the college?
If the results are given through internal assessment thenthe percentage of the cut-off list can be kept very high. The rationale behind thisis that the number of marks in the internal assessment could be marked highwhich is directly going to be proportional to the cut-off list. However, thiswill only harm the students, as their true potential will not be revealed onthe basis of internal assessment.
5. How will it impact the students who plan to study abroad?
Entrances tocolleges located abroad are through the Standardized Admission Test (SAT).These tests are taken online. Usually, students reach their colleges abroad byJune-July. To get admission there, they have to submit their final resultnumber, which is not possible in the present situation. However, they would eitherhave to intimate the college authorities about the same or can defer theirplans till the situation gets normal.
6. What about the engineering and medical entrances?
As of now, no decision has been made over the engineeringand medical entrance exams. Also, it seems a little hard to cancel thesequalifying examinations as the students have been preparing for the same fora long to admission to their respective field colleges. Moreover, if the examswill be called off there are chances that the students who have cleared theexams will not get admission to their desired colleges and their entire yearwill go in vain.