Assam govt cancels special board exams – Times of India

The special exam was proposed mainly for the students who were aspiring to appear in the recruitment exams under the state government where substantial weightage comes from Class X and XII board exam performance. According to the government’s view earlier, the genuine merit of the students can not be assessed without a written examination. However, the idea was vehemently opposed by various student organizations, including the All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu).

Finally, the crucial meeting under the chairmanship of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday decided to scrap the special board exams that were scheduled to be held tentatively by September 15. “There will be no special board exams this year in Assam. Clause V of the previous notification, where there was a mention of the special exams, has been withdrawn,” said education minister Ranoj Pegu.

He, however, added that during recruitment of Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET)-qualified teachers in schools or faculty members in higher educational institutions, where substantial weightage comes from the board exams, the government may conduct an equalizing exam in future.

Sarma held a meeting with the representatives of Aasu, All Bodo Students’ Union (Absu), and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) to discuss the alternative method of evaluation necessitated by the cancellation of HSLC and HS exams for 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting, held at the Janata Bhawan here, was also attended by Pegu, finance minister Ajanta Neog and handloom and textiles minister UG Brahma.

“After a detailed discussion, a consensus was reached regarding the alternative evaluation method,” a government release stated. Further, it added that the certificates and mark sheets provided under the evaluation formula would be valid in applying for higher education and jobs. However, the meeting also decided that an equivalent or equalizing exam may be held for teachers’ recruitment in schools and colleges if deemed necessary.

This will apply to all students of the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (Seba), Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), and other boards and education councils. Moreover, it was also decided that there would be no rank holder system in HSLC and HS exams under the new formula and only distinction and star marks would be given.

Sarma also directed to hold the Class IX examination under Seba from now onwards. The exam to be conducted by the District Education Council will have a similar question paper for all schools of the district. He instructed to ensure the availability of data of exam results and students appearing in the examination with the Seba.

Chief advisor of Aasu, Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya, adviser Prakash Das, president Dipanka Kumar Nath, general secretary Sankar Jyoti Baruah, President of Absu Dipen Bodo, AJYCP president Rana Pratap Baruah and general secretary Palash Changmai were also present at the meeting.