ICSE to hold board exams for Class V, VIII students from 2018; teachers too will be assessed

The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) council will organise board examinations for students of Classes V and VIII from the next academic year, it has been announced. [caption id=“attachment_3530819” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] Within hours of the announcement, made by ICSE council CEO Gerry Arathoon, the move came in for criticism, with parents and teachers all lambasting the board, and saying it will add to students’ pressure in an already over-competitive environment. Arathoon said the idea behind holding the two board examinations, which will be in addition to the ones held for Classes X and XII, is to bring about uniformity in evaluation and to judge students on the same parameters as those used by those from other schools. According to a report in Hindustan Times, he added that the exams will be conducted by the board at a national level only to bring about uniformity, and won’t involve passing and failing of candidates. “It will just be a periodical evaluation exercise to have an idea on the progress of the students’ learning after a particular level,” he said. Another unique feature being introduced this year, is a parallel assessment of teachers. A report in The Telegraph said that if a student scores extremely poor grades, the teacher concerned would also be graded accordingly. The board will also suggest “remedial measures” to schools whose students were found wanting. However, the move was met with criticism, with academic experts saying it will add to students’ stress levels. “The exams will be too frequent for children and we cannot deny that every board exam in India has a connotation of stress. Why can’t it be addressed at the school level without the council conducting a centralised exam?” psychiatrist Jai Ranjan Ram was quoted in the report as saying.