In a supposedly landmark decision to improve the quality of the state education system, the Haryana education board recently, announced an important decision. Accordingly, from the current academic year 2021-22, the government has planned on conducting board exams for Class 5 and 8. This will be in addition to the existing board exam system for Class 10 and 12 students. in fact, it has been made mandatory for all schools present in the state.
The amendment was announced by the Haryana State Education Minister Kanwar Pal via his official twitter account @chkanwarpal. In his tweet, the minister also added an image of the official announcement, specifying these reforms.
Background Behind Class 5 and 8 Boards
Usually, the concept of board exams is associated with students in Class 10 and 12. However, on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the Haryana cabinet passed an important amendment to the Haryana Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011. This order incorporates all government and private schools situated in Haryana as well as those located in the NCR regions of Faridabad and Gurgaon.
What Does the Amendment Imply?
As per the newly-introduced amendment, students will have to appear for board exams to get promoted to the next class. In fact, it has been made mandatory for all students to pass these board exams for studying in higher classes. However, those who fail will get a chance to appear for the exams again. Moreover, with the intention of seamlessly implementing this system, the Haryana board will announce the results within one month of exam completion.
As of now, this clause is applicable to students studying in Class 5 and Class 8. Since the new rules have been made effective immediately, the amendment will be implemented in the ongoing academic year 2021-22.
Private Schools with Opposing Views
The landmark reform in education was introduced with the sole intention of monitoring a student’s progress and creating a standardised assessment process of the received outcomes. So, in simple terms, along with gauging a child’s academic progress, the board is attempting to assess the impact of this reform. this is to ascertain whether board exams indeed, show positive results in a student’s academic graph.
While the motive may seem promising, private schools are opposing this reform. In fact, they claim this reform to be an “infringement on their autonomy”. Even experts have their inhibitions about introducing a new board pattern amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Although these concerns are valid, only the future will tell whether or not this move presented positive educational outcomes.
