State govt not on board: Sibal proposes,Bengal opposes

“Six months ago,I had written on this in the CPM mouthpiece Ganashakti and even shot off letters to all political parties to oppose such a move,” said De.

De sought to debunk Sibal’s argument that examinations are a traumatising experience for parents and students,saying it was not reason enough to scrap the examination system. “The ability to deal with pressure depends a lot on the grooming and the mental ability of a child. You cannot say that the pressure is there and so scrap the examination,” the minister said.

According to De,school education in the state is dependent on the government and government-aided schools and by doing away with the Board examination,the Centre would help private schools to function as they wish.

Abdus Sattar,Minister In-charge of Minority Affairs and West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education,a separate board to deal with madrasa system,said he is open to discussion on the issue. He,however,said there are already Madhaymik Siksha Kendras in villages and convent schools in the state,which are affiliated to a single board following the same curriculum and holding same pattern of examinations.

Even the Trinamool Congress appeared to be wary of the idea. Sougata Roy,Union Minister of State for Urban Development,who has a career in academics,said a decision of this nature which involves millions of students across the state cannot be taken in hurry. “I do not know the details of what Kapil Sibal has suggested. But such a decision requires intense discussion and debates,” Roy said.

Officials of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education — the state board that holds Class X examinations where about 8,44,729 students appeared and 6,52,251 passed out in 2008-09 session — said the board has been taking various steps to reduce stress. This year,the board came up with a seven-point indirect grading system where grades are displayed with marks but no total or percentage is mentioned.

“It is imperative to have an objective assessment of learning qualities at this level. A system of doing away with examinations can be done only if we can standardise learning across all schools,” said a senior board official.