Schools responsible for textbooks

To avoid textbook controversies, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has amended its affiliation bylaws, making school authorities responsible for the content of books prescribed by them. Schools have been advised to follow NCERT textbooks but if they choose to prescribe textbooks by private publishers then the principal will have to verify the content in such textbooks.

This has come after CBSE faced flak, last year, when it was found that a textbook prescribed by a CBSE school allegedly insinuated that non-vegetarians lie, cheat and commit crimes.

The board has incorporated an additional rule in its affiliation bylaws. As per the additional rule 15.1 (d), "The school will follow the syllabus on the basis of curriculum prescribed by NCERT for the middle classes as far as practicable or exercise extreme care while selecting books of private publishers. The content must be scrutinized to preclude any objectionable content that hurts the feelings of any class, community, gender, religious group in society. If found prescribing books having such content, the school will have to take responsibility of such content".

Schools have been asked to put a list of books prescribed by it on its website with the written declaration duly signed by the school manager and the principal "to the effect that they have gone through the content of the books prescribed by the school and own the responsibility".

The circular was issued recently to schools by CBSE after the affiliation committee and governing body of the board approved amendments and additions in the affiliation bylaws of the board.

Also as per amendments, CBSE schools will not have counsellors anymore. The board has made it essential for secondary and senior schools affiliated to it to appoint a person on a full-time basis for performing the duties of 'health wellness' teacher.

"The nomenclature of counsellor is proposed to be changed as 'health wellness' teacher to "make it more students/ parents friendly, as such the board purpose that wherever the word counsellor appears to be changed into health wellness teacher".

Schools having enrolment of less than 300 students in classes from IX to XII, can appoint a 'health wellness' teacher on a part-time basis. A step that would help reduce teachers' burden, CBSE has

now made it essential for schools to appoint a person exclusively to coordinate Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE ) related work of the school. CBSE has also made it mandatory for all schools to appoint physical education teacher for CBSE affiliation.

Secondary Education Board of Assam revamps exam, result pattern

In the lines of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Board of Secondary Examination, Assam (SEBA) has also decided to change the evaluation pattern and for that, special workshop will be conducted by the officials of SEBA and CBSE soon.

Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said SEBA officials will have to undertake a special training on evaluation in the CBSE pattern.

"It is always said that the evaluation pattern of CBSE is better, so from now on, we will hold a special workshop for the officials of both SEBA and CBSE so that the officials can learn the evaluation pattern," he said.

Besides that, two different sets of question papers will be set for each subject so that if there is an emergency situation, the second set of question paper can be issued. "This time, we faced a situation where the question paper had to be changed and so it took a lot of time to bring out a fresh set of question papers. So, we will have two sets of question papers from now on so that emergency situations can be taken care of without any hiccups," he said.

The minister said there will also be a change in the result pattern. From this time, the results will be declared on the website and will also be available on SMS.

"The results will be declared on the website and on the day the results are out, the SEBA chairman will name a list of students who secure a good position in the exam in a special press meet," he said.

The minister also stated that NCERT prescribed books will be followed for science and maths in class 9 from now on. Close circuit TV cameras (CCTV) are likely to be installed in the examination centres to ensure that cheating and other malpractices are curbed during the examination.

"We will either install CCTV camera or do a video recording in all the examination centres like we did for the Combined Entrance Examination (CEE) this time to curb cheating and other malpractices," he said.

Rare species in CBSE schools

In a renewed effort, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has recently requested all its affiliated schools to surrender any preserved museum specimen of plants and animals that are rare and threatened (as per the Wildlife Protection Act 1972) to the ministry of environment and forest department.

According to Vineet Joshi, chairman, CBSE, activists had noticed the presence of wild animals and birds that were kept in captivity in some schools during their visits to schools recently. Following which, a committee of experts met at the CBSE office and unanimously agreed to follow the Wildlife Protection Act and sensitise students towards care and protection of biodiversity.

"The CBSE had issued a circular on November 9, 2010, wherein the board had asked all its affiliated schools to surrender any rare and endangered species to the ministry of environment and forest department. But, since some endangered species have still been noticed by activists during visits to the schools, we have written to the principals to ensure that no endangered species of plants and wild animals, including birds and insects, are kept in captivity and used for classroom/laboratory study," says Joshi.

Since the board does not have a list of schools, which have been keeping these rare species in their laboratories, all CBSE affiliated schools, whether government or private, have been warned with a notice.

"It is possible that the school authorities are not always aware whether the specimens fall under endangered or rare category. Hence, it is essential that both students and teachers are educated and sensitised," he adds.

Joshi believes that in the age of information and computer technology, students can do without practical dissections. Instead, virtual specimens can be used for studying plant and animal diversity.

Over 17,000 students secure middle school scholarship in Maharashtra

A total of 17,552 students have secured the middle school scholarship in the state, exam for which was held by the Maharashtra State Council of Examinations on March 18.

A statement issued by the council here on Wednesday said the result of the middle school scholarship for std IV was announced online on May 1.

The scholarship examinations for middle and high schools in the state went hi-tech from this year, with the introduction of Optical Mark Readable (OMR) answer sheets for objective type papers, as is done in common entrance tests for engineering and medical courses. The compilation of results was done by way of a computerised data entry process. The OMR sheets, which can be read by a computer, ensured an even faster processing of the results, the statement said.

About 7.43 lakh students had registered for the exam of which 6.99 lakh appeared. About 3.62 lakh students cleared the examination and 17,552 students were selected for an award of scholarship. The statement said that each district has been awarded 10 scholarships on line of national general scholarships besides the quota for rural and urban students, those from the scheduled caste, children of landless farm labourers, rural tribal students and those from the Vidarbha region.

The merit list for rural areas containing 116 names and merit list for urban areas containing 106 names, plus a merit list of 50 students from CBSE/ICSE boards have been put up on the exam council website www.mscepune.in

CBSE allows absentees till May 5 to register online

If for some reason you were unable to make it to your All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) offline centre on April 29, here comes a second chance.

The CBSE, the body which conducts the exam, has decided to allow anyone who was absent on that day to appear in the online version scheduled to start from next week. The online test will be held only for the B.E/B.Tech courses, as the B Arch subject test was available only in the offline mode.

The online exam will be held twice daily and on multiple days, so candidates who want to appear for the exam will now have to register online at www.aieee.nic.in before May 5. Though the first online test will be held on May 7, the absentee candidates will not be able to choose that date option. Candidates can choose any one date from May 12, 19 and 26 but the CBSE will allot one based on availability.

Nagpur is a totally online centre for AIEEE but an overwhelming majority of candidates from the region had opted for the offline version. In Amravati, which was the nearest offline centre, almost 21,000 candidates appeared for the exam.

Across the country 10 lakh students had opted for the offline version while another 1.64 lakh chose the online version. When TOI spoke to CBSE officials they were unable to provide the exact number of absentees in the offline test. The central board has clarified that even after the applications from absentees are received, the details will be verified to ensure that no one is misusing the second chance being offered.

In Nagpur, preparations for the online exams are well underway but the number of centres and student enrolment figures are not being divulged. TOI tried to contact Beena Gokhale, who is the facilitator for Nagpur, but she did not respond to our calls or SMS.

Navneet Singh Tuli, who heads Guru Nanak Group of Institutions, said, "From the information I have, it seems about 7,000 students will be appearing for the online tests. My two online centres will have a capacity of 1200 students alone and all the preparations have been made."

India to roll out common entrance medical exam from 2013

It's now official - the common National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to Under Graduate (UG) will be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) while it will be the National Board of Examination that will conduct the Post Graduate (PG) exams.

India is all set to roll out NEET from 2013-14.

Putting ghosts to rest, the Union health ministry has informed state governments that their existing reservation policies would not be disturbed under the proposed scheme and state wise eligibility merit lists will be prepared for the respective state authorities to admit students for admission in accordance with their admission criteria in the institutions located in the respective states.

The Medical Council of India has also revised the syllabus for NEET-UG.

The qualifying criterion has been changed from percentage of absolute marks to percentile to ensure that no seat remains unfilled. Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday "A few state governments had expressed concerns about the proposed NEET particularly with regard to the syllabus for the NEET for UG, reservation of seats, medium of examination, as well as their own preparedness to introduce the scheme from the academic year 2012-13 and whether once introduced some of their seats would go unfilled because of high merit. The government has addressed all the concerns."

The ministry has also set up a coordination Committee "with all relevant stakeholders as members, which will address any issue relating to the admission process, including regional language as medium for conduct of NEET."

NEET would mean a single entrance examination will be held for MBBS and MD courses offered by all 271 medical colleges, 138 run by governments and 133 under private management. These colleges offer over 31,000 seats for MBBS courses and another 11,000 seats for PG degrees.

Experts say NEET would reduce hassles for students appearing for multiple medical exams.

"Once implemented, the NEET would be applicable to all medical colleges which come under the ambit of MCI, including private medical colleges," Azad said.

Among the states that was against the introduction of NEET in 2012 included West Bengal Maharashtra, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa had showed readiness to join NEET from 2013-14 but AP sought exemption for two years, saying it would join from 2014-15.

"At present, about 17 entrance tests are held to fill 32,000 UG seats in medical colleges across the country," a ministry official said.

Students can get Photocopy of answer sheets after results

Following a Supreme Court order in August 2011, CBSE students can now on apply to get a photocopy of their answer scripts, once the board results (classes X and XII) are out. According to the order, students appearing in an examination have a right to view their answer sheets if they want to.

According to Vineet Joshi, chairman, CBSE, students will receive photocopies of their answer sheets as per the request within 15 days of submitting their application forms. However, students can continue to avail of the marks verification facility.

In order to get a photocopy of the answer scripts, students will have to pay Rs 500 per subject. They can avail of their answer scripts by applying online and making an online payment. Students who don't want to make an online payment can send a draft at the regional office of CBSE along with the online photocopy of the application form. However, for verification, students can continue to pay Rs 100 per answer script.

Joshi further adds, "Students wanting to avail of this facility will have to apply to the board within 21 days, once the results are out."

Apart from CBSE boards, students appearing for All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and All India Pre-Medical /Pre-Dental Test (AIPMT) can also avail of this facility.

93% aspirants fail teacher’s eligibility test

With a staggering 93% of aspiring school teachers failing to clear the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2012, the quality of teacher training in the country has come under the scanner.

The results of the competency test conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education, declared on Tuesday, show that just around 7% of the 7.85 lakh managing to clear the exam.

Of the 8,61,231 aspirants registered of which 76,004 could not appear in the test due to the assembly elections in five states. Of the 7,85,227 aspirants who appeared only 55,422 managed to clear either paper I or paper II or both.

What's even more worrying that this year's performance is worse than the CTET in 2011, which recorded around 9% pass percentage. Meanwhile, after the dismal show last year, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has already asked the CBSE to analyse the results institution wise and has decided to provide feedbacks to teacher education institutions so that they can improve on their teaching and training.

The CTET was introduced in 2011 by the ministry to improve the quality of teaching in schools after the enactment of the Right to Education Act.

The CTET certification has been made mandatory to become a teacher for classes I to VIII in any central government school, while the CBSE affiliated schools can either recruit teachers based on the CTET or the respective test conducted by the states.

In fact, the Delhi government too decided to adopt the CTET for recruitment of teachers for government run and aided schools.

The CTET comprised two papers, paper I for teachers for classes I to V and paper II for classes VI to VIII. Aspirants who wish to get certified for classes I to VIII need to clear both the papers.

The objective is to test their knowledge on the syllabi - English, mathematics and environmental science.

Helpline for board got 10,000 calls last year

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has launched a toll-free helpline 1800 233 5500 for students of SSC and HSC science and general stream. They can seek answers to their queries regarding the exams and alleviate their anxiety. Officials said that analysis of over 9,000 calls received in 2011 revealed that 70% callers were students who cleared their doubts regarding the paper style, preparation for exams and tips on how to score better marks.

Thirty per cent calls are from students who are stressed about the exams and seek help with regards to enhancing their memory, tackling anxiety and pressure from the parents and teachers about their performance in the exams.

Officials said that of the 9,946 calls received by the helpline, 840 were from students who were intelligent and had scored between 80% and 90% in the prelim exams but were in doubt of performing well in the board exams.

"Maximum anxiety is seen among brilliant students who scored very good marks in the prelim exams. The students are under immense pressure not only from parents, teachers but also themselves. They want to perform the best. So, they feel anxious. Many want to seek a drop", said officials.

Most of the calls (2,138) were from Ahmedabad, while 912 from Rajkot, 783 from Bhavnagar, 205 from Panchmahal and 95 from Dahod.

SSC students who were appearing for board exams for the first time made maximum 6,043 calls. Their main queries included how to write the exam to score better, whether the questions would come from guides or supplementary books or should they stick to only textbooks.

HSC (science) students made 1,450 calls. Their queries related to mainly four main subjects - maths, physics, chemistry and biology.

Students also asked for how many hours they should read and got special tips about writing the paper in a better manner.

SSC, CBSE exams from tomorrow

Thursday will mark the start of three sets of board examinations - the Secondary School Certificate (SSC), and Class X and XII exams of Central Board of Secondary Examinations (CBSE). Last year, the school-based assessment system introduced for Class X CBSE students found many takers. However, those opting for it have dropped drastically this time.

Last year, of the 16,000-odd Class X students in the state, 5,063 opted for the school-based exams. This year, 21,000 students from Maharashtra will take the Class X CBSE exam, but a mere 3,081 students have opted for the school-based exams. "This includes students who are studying in schools that function only till Class X, so they must have chosen the board exams over the school-based assessment so that they can be accommodated in junior colleges under the state rule," said Rama Sharma, PRO for the CBSE board. In Mumbai, of the total 3,908 students appearing for the Class X examination, 1,100 students have opted for school-based assessment.

"Students are upbeat and even though some still visit our school for last-minute tips, most others are relaxing now. We advise students to rest well before the examinations," said Rakesh Joshi, principal of Apeejay School in Nerul. A total of 9,822 students will appear for the CBSE Class XII examination from Maharashtra.

The current batch of SSC students will be the first to appear for the changed Science and Maths patterns. "Students have nothing to worry about as schools have informed them well in advance about the changes. Our state board helpline numbers are available for students whenever they need us and our aim is to always make the examination season as stress-free for students as possible," said Ravindra Bhise, divisional state board secretary.

CBSE students in Nashik prefer board exams over internal tests

The purpose of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)'s plan to make board exams optional in class X seems to be defeated in Nashik.

While in the last year, a big chunk of students from class X opted out of board exams, this year the numbers are reduced to single digits in most city schools. Worried about closing down their options instate institutions, most students have opted for board exams.

Some of the schools have even asked students to appear for the board exams only. The plan was introduced in the academic session in 2010-11 to reduce unnecessary stress caused due to the boards. Last year, Kendriya Vidyalaya 1 in Deolali had only 17 students opting for the board exams. The rest of them preferred the school based assessment, where schools conducted an internal test.

"After the results were out, our students had to run around to get multiple approvals. Students who were interested in taking up admissions to state's junior colleges managed to get seats which were left after the mainstream admissions were over. Even after the admissions were given, they did not have the board certificate which was mandatory for their admissions in junior colleges," said Shiny George, the principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya 1 in Deolali. She added that students interested in polytechnic courses offered by the state were disappointed after they learnt that the school assessment results will not get them admissions.

"Polytechnic courses ensure a lateral entry in to engineering courses in the second year. Many students aspire to get into engineering courses via this channel," added George.

In another Kendriya Vidyalaya in Nashik city, only 25% students had opted for the board exams last year. This year, however, the school asked all its students to appear for the board exams.

The vice-principal said that most students, who are interested in the state level entrance exams, prefer moving to the state board colleges post class X. "However, with a centralised test for medical and engineering admissions, there should not be any problem in future," added the principal.

Vice principal M Sawhney, from Army Public School in Deolali, said that last year they had maximum number of students appearing for the school based-exam, however, those the numbers have drastically come down this year. "This year more than 60% of students are appearing for the board exams as they wish to move out of CBS board," said Sawhney.

CBSE exams from March 1

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) final exams for classes X and XII will start from March 1. The first exam for Class X will be painting and for Class XII it will be English.

CBSE regional officer K K Choudhury said, "The preparation for the examinations has already started. The question papers have already been dispatched from Delhi to the different centres. There are around 285 centres all over the northeast, and around 753 schools in the northeast from which approximately 85,000 candidates of classes X and XII would be appearing for the exams."

He added that although at the senior secondary level, that is, Class XII, students can opt for either board-conducted school-conducted examination, it is seen that in the northeast, students prefer the exam conducted by the board.

The regional officer also said that this year, CBSE has introduced the board's international curriculum in Indian schools and this has been notified to schools in the northeast as well.

"The CBSE international curriculum would be more project-based and the schools would now offer both the courses for students to choose from. The CBSE international curriculum would vary across regions as we have included region-specific issues and important historical events in the social science subject," Choudhury said.

That international curriculum needs to be handled differently altogether, as it is quite unlike the regular course, but it would surely benefit the students, he said.

The CBSE curriculum is also stressing more on vocational subjects, and hospitality and tourism are the latest subjects that have been introduced in the curriculum. "Vocational subjects are the need of the hour and the idea is to provide the students the option of studying subjects that would help them professionally after the board finals," the CBSE regional officer said.