The coronavirus pandemic has changed the sphere of education,
enabling the education system to proceed with the integration of modern
technology into teaching pedagogy and conducting examinations. The
unprecedented advent of the pandemic resulted in an entire batch of class X
students having their board exams scrapped due to health risks. As a
precautionary measure against subsequent waves of the pandemic, the Goa Board
of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) implemented a two-term
system of board examinations for students of class X and class XII for the
2021-2022 academic year. 18,112 class 12 students appeared for the examination,
recording a 92.66 percent pass percentage. After taking into account student
feedback and the prevailing situation, the board decided to implement the same
system of examinations for the batch of 2022-2023.
For the current batch of class 12 students, the first term
examination, conducted in the form of MCQ papers, was their first taste of
board examinations. The upcoming year of 2023 is poised to be academically
challenging as the students prepare to answer prelims, practical exams and
subjective-type board examinations, followed by competitive entrance exams. The
prelims for class 12 have been tentatively scheduled for the end of January,
with practicals commencing in February. The theory examination will be
conducted from March 1. As the Christmas break draws to a close, students ready
themselves for the upcoming trials and share their feedback about the GBSHSE’s
current scheme of examinations.
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Aurick Pereira, a student of Vasantrao Dempo Higher Secondary,
Cujira, believes that the new system is useful to those studying for
competitive exams. “The syllabus for the first term was easier than that of the
second term, which we will be covering now. As the exams were MCQ based, we had
to fix our approach of answering the paper carefully, but it is easier to score
high marks with this format. For this term, everyone can focus on their competitive
exams after having a lighter board exam with half the syllabus. Plus, those who
do any kind of coaching already have a schedule to study the entire syllabus of
class 11 and class 12, now matter how the boards are conducted,” says Aurick.
He further added “Some teachers began with the second term syllabus immediately
after they completed their first term syllabus. Many say that we are lucky
because we don’t have to study the entire syllabus for one final exam. While
the first term had internal exams we don’t have any this term, just prelims
next month, followed by practicals and then boards in March. This gives
everyone a chance to gear up for competitive exams.”
For Nathanael Pereira, a student from Panjim, the new system of
exams provides experience for tackling competitive exams. “I think prefer the
new exam system. I feel like it helps students to learn to manage the
competition which they are unquestionably going to face later on in life.
Rather than learning the entire syllabus, it is easier to study for the second
term exam and then prepare for exams like JEE Mains. The first term exam was
MCQ based, and that gave us some valuable experience of how a competitive exam
will be conducted. Subjective-type exams do have a better chance of scoring
marks, because if you mark the wrong answer on an MCQ, you may even lose marks.
Subjective answers value your process and award marks for important steps as
well,” says Nathanael. He also pointed out that this was the first time that
the 2022-2023 batch of students would be answering a board examination. “Our
class 10 exams were cancelled due to COVID. Classes were held online and then
we were given question papers to solve at home and submit. They calculated our
marks based on all the assignments and question papers that we had to answer.
Those who wanted to opt for science has to answer another entrance exam,
divided into a maths section and science section, both carrying equal
weightage.”
Not
everyone is happy with the prevailing scheme. A student from Vasco, who wished
to remain anonymous, highlighted the difficulties presented by the new scheme.
“In my opinion, there are a lot of disadvantages of the new exam system. The
issue is not the system itself, but the way it’s being implemented. There is a
serious issue of time management. The first term gives us almost 7 months to
prepare for an MCQ exam, but the second term is barely two and half months
long. Teachers have to rush to complete the remaining portion within a short
time frame, at the end of which we are expected to answer a subjective exam.”
The student further added that this time crunch is not conducive to
understanding important concepts within each subject. “Since the second term
portion is being rushed, we do not have enough time to understand the concepts.
After the first term, we do not touch 50 percent of the portion again. This is
a huge disadvantage for tackling entrance exams, especially for students who do
not go for, or cannot afford coaching. It’s a lot of stress and it affects our
admissions to college. It still feels like the current system values grades
over skills despite the skills of a student being valued more in the job
market.” With 2023 around the corner, it’s time for students to gear up to face
the approaching examinations
