My Opinion | Board exams for classes 5 and 8

Tamilnadu government introduces board exams for classes 5 and 8. Progressive or excessive?

It all started in 2017, when an amendment was introduced to Right to Education Act, with the annulment of "no-detention" policy. However, the state governments were given an option to follow their own policy. The amendment was referred to standing committee and passed in July 2018. Till then, the students from class 1 to 8 can move to the next grade without clearing the exams. Education is under concurrent list, with this amendment in RTE act Tamilnadu government can choose detention policy but they decided to continue the no-detention policy.
     The recently released draft education policy of central government proposed board exams for classes 5 and 8. Subsequently, Tamilnadu government issued a circular on 13 September 2019, saying that it is going to introduce board examinations for classes 5 and 8, changing from its previous stand. With an inundated dissent for this proposal the school department have postponed the board examinations for three years citing that this period will provide an opportunity to improve the skills of our students to face exams.

Is it Progressive?
Its progressive says some teachers and educationalist, with no detention-policy teachers are not so serious about teaching which results in disinterested students. They also questions the knowledge and skill of the students who pass to the next grade without passing the examination. In the competitive world full of competitive exams students need an experience of facing such exams which will help them in future, they reiterate.

My Opinion: 
It will cause harmful impact socially, psychologically and also at skill level. These exams will increase the school drop-outs and child marriage particularly from poor socioeconomic background.
Tamilnadu is a progressive state when it comes to education with reforms like cost free school education in government schools, mid day meal scheme which not only brought students to schools but also improved their nutrition level, particular from rural background. In spite, the latest social background survey says that 16% of girls are married before 18 and there are nearly 3 hundred thousand child workers in Tamilnadu. This proposal will make situation even worse.
     Major concern is about how children are going to react psychologically to these exams. At the age of 10 and 13 could they handle such pressure? That's the age to select their interest, the age to fly with aspirations, the age to get trained in sports and involve in extra curricular activities. In India, every year 2500 students commit suicide for failing in examinations. Now we will see that in 5th and 8th grade. Not only for students it will also add pressure to the parents to train the students for exams at a very young age. It's a contradiction, that government is promoting physical activities among students and also imposing such board exams which eventually will reduce their play time and their physical activities.
     For the people who think its progressive because by conducting board exams we can assess the knowledge and skill set of students are not ready for Eligibility Test in their profession. You cannot determine the competency through exams. Exams are filtering process and not testing process.
     Instead, quality of learning and teaching should be improved, and monthly assessment should be done to test the knowledge. Strengthening of the basics, gardening an entrepreneurial mindset should be the priority but these exams will push them back to memorizing without understanding.
     Government postponed the detention policy for three years citing that this period will provide an opportunity to improve the skills of our students to face exams(real reason is overwhelming opposition for this idea). We say to them, we don't need skills to face exams and exams don't produce skillful people. So, statements like board exams are essential to improve competencies, a training for competitive exams are ridiculous in contemporary world. This proposal to conduct board exams for classes 5 and 8 is not only excessive but also depressive.
It's an age to fly high in the sky don't clip their wings.



Purushothaman Ramachandran