School principals and students here said there are both pros and cons to the situation
Dubai: There have been mixed feelings in the UAE school community about the cancelling and delaying of CBSE exams announced on Wednesday, amid rising COVID-19 cases in India.
School principals and students here said there are both pros and cons to the situation. On Wednesday, education officials in India said Class 10 board exams were cancelled while Class 12 board exams were delayed under the CBSE.
The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) is India’s biggest school board with thousands of UAE students following the curriculum. The exams were due to take place in May and June — after being delayed before — but now have been cancelled for Class 10 and pushed back again for Class 12. An update on new dates for Class 12 exams is expected on June 1.
Another consideration behind the move is the academic time that students would have had to catch up to as a result of disruptions since last year, she added. “Normally, by now we would have started Class 11 In April. But now it was going to start around the eight or 10th of June. So that to make-up that would have been difficult.”
Regarding Class 12, Nandkeolyar said the exams were “high stakes” as the students will be going to university after that. She added: “It’s wait-and-watch right now with respect to Class 12 exams. It’s a wise decision and the only decision that can be taken at this point. In case the situation eases [in India], then they can have the exams in June or July, because in any case, most colleges start only in September.”
Students can meanwhile start applying to university on the basis of their previous results in internal results, she added. “All universities know that virtually every [school-leaving board] exam has been postponed or dropped. So all universities are in the mood to understand the situation.”
Meanwhile, the cancelling of Class 10 exams has “had a bittersweet impact, with some feeling relieved and others disappointed. The focus will now shift to the result declaration as the objective criterion is still under construction”, Khambatta said.
Teresa Varman, Principal & CEO, GEMS Millennium School Sharjah, said the decision “to place the health, safety and well-being of students above all else has been deeply appreciated” by students and parents. Most schools, she added, start Class 11 classes based on students’ internal marks even before the Class 10 board exam results are released.
“The cancellation of the CBSE Grade 10 Examinations has therefore come as a relief. While the postponement of the Grade 12 examinations will cause some disruption with regard to students’ future plans, it is the best decision given the present situation. We have every faith that the CBSE Board will always work in the best interest of all students,” Varman said.
There have been mixed feelings from students too. Dubai-based Class 10 student Cyrus Jaison said he was “shocked” to hear the news of the cancellation. He said the board exam would have been “more convincing” of the grades. Regarding the grading criterion, which will be announced to schools later, Cyrus said he is currently “neutral” regarding how useful it will be in place of exams.
Another student, T.S., who is in Class 12, said students will be rushing more for university application deadlines but at the same time now have more time to prepare for the exam as well. “So I have been mixed feelings about it,” he added.
A Class 10 student, Jerome, said he was “happy” the exams have been cancelled. Regarding the alternative grading system to come in its place,” he said “I’m sure they will clear it out”.
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