Why CBSE is conducting pending practicals in online mode? – Times of India

This would apply to only those schools that were unable to conduct the practical exams due to the second pandemic surge. The CBSE has directed the schools to conduct the pending tests and submit the marks by June 28. For the pending practicals, the external examiner will fix the date for an online viva voce in consultation with the internal examiner.

“The format of the viva voce has changed which was earlier conducted face to face. Presently, it is being conducted in a contactless mode so that neither the student nor the examiners have to leave their homes. It will save commuting time and allow students to take the exam in a hassle-free mode,” Sanyam Bharadwaj, controller of examinations, CBSE, tells
Education Times.

Schools have also been asked to take an on-screen photograph of the online interaction with the student, along with the external and internal examiner for the records. “This will provide documentary evidence should doubt get raised about the fairness of the assessment,” Bharadwaj explains.

The examiners will allot marks based on students’ conceptual knowledge of the lab-based experiments. “If a student is ill and fails to answer correctly, the examiners will explain the experiment in detail and proceed with the questions,” Bharadwaj says.

Dismissing the possibility of fear psychosis among students, Bharadwaj says they will have the school teacher as internal examiner to mitigate their stress. “Over 60% of the CBSE schools have already conducted the class XII practicals face-to-face, while only 10% practicals per subject are left pending for evaluation,” he says.

“The assessment across all the CBSE affiliated schools both in India and abroad will be based on the abilities of the students. Schools have worked hard to prepare students for the actual practical exams when they reopened in January amid strict Covid protocols. The online exams will be an extension of that approach,” he adds.

On the digital divide which makes conducting online exams a huge challenge in the rural belt, Bharadwaj says that schools have been conducting online classes throughout the year and are likely to have all the arrangements in place. “However, students can always borrow the necessary devices, and in case of extreme difficulty, the viva voce can also be conducted telephonically if required,” he adds.

“The online practicals would be a facilitative process for the class XII students who are used to over a year’s remote learning and adept at handling technical gadgets. At our school, most of the students have digital access, either through tablets or mobile phones, which makes the announcement seem less surprising. Their practical projects have already been submitted, all students need to do is face a question hour session,” says Atul Kumar, principal, Government Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Kakrola, Dwarka, New Delhi.

Online viva voce is the only option in pandemic times, says Eswaran R, COO, Excellencia schools, Hyderabad, adding students lack the requisite lab experience due to the extended lockdown and indefinite school closures. “Since very few schools could conduct virtual labs, most students were denied exposure to even the remote lab experience. However, virtual viva voce is the only way to connect the external examiner with the students where mostly theoretical knowledge will be tested,” he adds.