Evaluation criteria for WB Class 10 & 12 board examinations announced

After the cancellation of class 10 and 12 exams in West Bengal due to the pandemic situation, the two boards on Friday announced the evaluation criteria and that the results will be announced in July.

President of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly told a joint press meet that for the 2021 class 10 results a 50:50 formula will be followed. As per the formula the candidates mark in class 9 annual examination and the internal assessment in class 10 will be taken into consideration.

"For Madhyamik (class 10) examination the criteria will be on 50:50 basis with equal emphasis given on the class nine annual exam mark and internal formative assessment for every subject in class 10... ", Ganguly said.

The President of West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education Mahua Das said at the same press meet that the highest marks in four of the seven subjects the candidate secured in 2019 Madhyamik (Class 10) examination will be given weightage as well as his/her marks in class 11 annual tests.

With this weightage, the total marks secured by the candidate in class 12 project/practical will be added.

"The evaluation will be on 40:60 ratio (2019 Madhyamik results with four highest scoring paper marks and class 11 annual exams marks)," she said, adding for science/arts stream students the marks in practical/projects in class 12 will be added in the assessment.

In both exams, if any candidate is not willing to opt for the evaluation criteria he/she can apply to sit for exams which will be held when the situation becomes conducive for exams, both Ganguly and Das said.

At the press meet Das handed over the marks details of 2019 Madhyamik candidates to Das.

She said authorities of higher secondary schools have been asked to submit annual exam results of their candidates by June 23.

Both the secondary (Class 10) board and higher secondary (Class 12) council said the results will be out by July but didn't give a date.

Referring to the announcement made by both the boards, educationist Pabitra Sarkar said "this cannot be the alternative to exams for which our children prepare throughout the year. This complex calculation reminds me of the children's classic by Bengali writer Sukumar Ray. But in the present situation there is no other way out left for the authorities conducting exams where lakhs of children have to sit."

On June 7, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that class 10 and Class 12 board exams were being cancelled in view of the COVID-19 situation and said an expert committee, formed earlier to recommend on the issue of cancellation or postponing of the exams will decide on the alternative evaluation method in the best possible way with interest of students in mind.

Banerjee also said the exams were being cancelled as recommended by the committee and as suggested by members of public in an opinion poll conducted by the department thereafter.

Over 12 lakh and 8.5 lakh students were slated to appear for the Madhyamik and Uchcha Madhyamik examinations respectively this year.