PSEB falls on CBSE model to lift learning standards

The schools affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board now conduct weekly tests for students from Class V to X.

After instructions from Punjab Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan Director General Krishan Kumar,children will not be given any marks but evaluated through a grading system. This move has undoubtedly put the academics of students on the right track but teachers are complaining of increasing workload.

“Checking weekly tests consumes a lot of our time,” a teacher rued.

According to Rajni,a government school teacher,“For Class V,we conduct a one-hour long weekly test for subjects like Environmental Science,English and Mathematics on Mondays. For students from Class VI to X,each weekly test comprises 20 marks and its record is maintained by respective classteachers.”

Baldev Singh Mangat,Primary Education Officer of Ludhiana-1 Educational Block said,“After conducting weekly tests on four Mondays of the month,the compiled report of each child will be submitted to the District Science Supervisor,Ludhiana,and he will further give feedback to DGSA,Punjab.”

He further said weekly tests for the remaining classes will also resume after the summer vacations.

Mangat said,“The DGSA has asked teachers to conduct weekly tests of students from Class I to IV every Monday on the same pattern. The only difference is that teachers will have to prepare the question papers on their own.”

To regularise this project,Punjab SSA has given month-wise syllabus to all the schools while the SSA supplies the printed question papers. It is the block resource persons (BRP),who collect the question papers during the weekend and deliver the same to government schools.

Baldev Mangat said,“The BRPs face a lot of problems as they have to deliver question papers before Monday and sometimes it is not possible for them to deliver them in time as travelling from one school to the other especially in the rural areas consumes a lot of time.” Requesting anonymity,a BRP said,“Every week,we have to run from one place to another,it would be appreciated if the bundles for all the four Mondays are handed over to us in the first week of the month.”

District Education Officer,(Elementary),Ludhiana,Harpal Kaur,said,“Recently,we held a meeting with DGSA Krishan Kumar, and apprised him about the problem. He assured that after summer vacations,question papers of all the four test days will be handed over to the respective schools in the first week itself.”

With over 1,012 government primary schools and 512 high schools in the district,monitoring weekly tests is also a Herculean task.

And amid all this parents are a relieved lot.

Geeta,a parent,said,“I have never been to school. It is good to see that schools are taking keen interst in students’ education.”

Meanwhile Sarabjeet Kaur,district project coordinator,SSA Ludhiana said,“Despite being a Saturday,I visited a few government schools and got satisfactory feedback from the students.”

Harpal Kaur,DEO (E) Ludhiana,said,“My recent interaction with schoolchildren at a government primary school in Dhurkot and Nutt was satisfactory as kids showed a keen interest in studies.”