After 2011, there will be no board exams. This decision by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal is aimed to revolutionize the education system in India. The new system will evaluate students on the basis of grades. Sixty percent of the grades will depend on internal examinations, which will be held by different schools using their own question papers. The answer sheets of the students will also be evaluated internally. The remaining 40 percent will be based on a ‘continuous and comprehensive evaluation’ of qualities, such as, speaking skills and physical education.

But there are various questions which are still unanswered by the authorities, such as, what happens to the CBSE schools that have classed only till the 10th? How ill their students qualify for +2 classes run by colleges in India? Is the CBSE ready for this? Are schools ready to take on the complex continuous evaluation process? Are they trained to test students in diction, for instance?

So, it might seem that the decision to scrap the class X board exam is a boon for students considering that they will be freed from all the stress which the students have to face during the entire year. But is it really true, if students will be constantly analyzed and examined during their class X, won’t they feel the pressure then?

According to veterans in the education industry, in today’s times, the level of examination is very standardized because of which a lot of children end up getting very high percentage. So, if the child is being evaluated on a continuous basis throughout the year, it will be a better assessment of a child’s ability and aptitude and this can be done both in a government and private school.

However, there are parents who feel that the child might feel stressed through the year with regular homework and tests. But they feel that the focus on everyday learning is a great idea, provided it is implemented earnestly.

While teachers and families think that it is a sound decision, students are a little confused over what the change meant for them. They said that they support the introduction of grades but are not in favor of making Class X Boards optional as it helps us to be better prepared to face the Class XII examination and competitive entrance tests later on. The concept of being under the scanner all year long has evoked apprehension among students.

This system of grading and continuous evaluation, for instance, is already in place in America where children are graded regularly on assignments, tests and quizzes. But there is a strong debate over the actual advantages of such a system as children end up devoting quite some time doing their homework daily.

There are apprehensions in everyone’s mind… be it students, be it parents or be it teachers. The fact is, no matter, how difficult things appear right now, it will benefit a student in the long run as the focus from now on will be on full-time understanding of the child.