SSC internal assessment in Maharashtra to be reduced to 20 marks

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has proposed to reduce the internal assessment marks of secondary school certificate (SSC, std X) examination to 20 from the next academic year.

The change will be applicable for science and mathematics subjects, board chairman Sarjerao Jadhav told TOI on Monday.

"As per the revised syllabus, the internal assessment for std IX is of 20 marks. It will have to be continued for std X as well. The proposal is not yet cleared by the government but the chances are that it will get the nod," Jadhav said.

At present, mathematics has 150 marks, including 30 marks for internal assessment. It will be reduced to 100 marks - 40 marks each for the algebra and geometry written examinations and 20 marks for internal assessment. Students would have two-and-a-half hours for the 80-mark written exam, Jadhav said.

For science subjects, currently, theory is a 60-marks paper and internal assessment is for 40 marks. But from 2013-14, the internal assessment will be reduced to 20 marks while theory paper will be of 80 marks.

The state government has decided to revise the marks weightage to bring parity with the CBSE examination pattern. This will help the government to resolve issues like the 'best five' calculations, which had caused controversy, he added.

SSC, HSC supplementary results in August

The results of SSC and HSC (science) and (general) stream supplementary exams will be declared on August 4 and August 6 respectively.

Officials of Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) said the results of SSC supplementary exams will be declared on August 4 while HSC results will out on August 6.

The board had taken supplementary exams of students who had failed up to two papers in SSC and HSC (science) and one paper in HSC (general) stream.

This year, the marksheets will be issued the same day that the result are declared on the board. Earlier, marksheets were issued three to four days later.

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.