 "Class-X board exams: Delhi govt seeks two-year breather for CBSE students")
The Delhi government has sought a breather of two years from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for making mandatory Class X examination saying the students aren't prepared for the "tough test".
CBSE had recently announced that the Class-X examinations will be mandatory again from next academic session.
The decision was taken after the optional tests and automatic promotion policy came under criticism for "lowering" the level of students' knowledge.
The Directorate of Education has written to CBSE saying if the new rules are implemented, the students presently in class IX and VIII will face the first and second editions of the compulsory examination in 2018 and 2019.
"The students have gone through varied experiments such as the no-detention policy and Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation (CCE). As the compulsory board exams will require them to study the entire syllabus for the annual exam, they may find it difficult as they haven't been prepared that way," a senior DoE official said.
"We have asked for a breather and suggested that the semester system continues for the two years so the students will study half syllabus in two different parts," the official added.