Mumbai: A day after the mathematics paper of the Class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exam was reported to be the toughest in 10 years, confusion and contradictory reports galore on what actually the board is doing to resolve the issue.
While some reports have suggested that the board after meeting with affiliated schools has decided to making marking more lenient than before, and also considering giving grace marks to the students, some other reports suggested that the board is yet to take a final call on the matter and has instead decided to refer it to the subject committee.
"The Board was reported to be considering making the marking more lenient than before. Among a number of other measures being considered, the option of an “improvement” paper for all students might be given", The Hindu reported Friday.
Amidst complaints by CBSE class XII students over the "difficulty level" of their mathematics examination, the board has called for a meeting to discuss the matter and is also mulling whether to give a relaxation in the marking for the paper, according to Bangalore Mirror.
The Bangalore Mirror has also reported that there are disagreements among the shcools on the demand for re-exam of the CBSE maths paper.
The principal of Army Public School Manjula Raman, principal, Army Public School, said there was very little scope for an improvement examination.
"Students would really not have the time for it as once the board exams get over they start giving all their entrance exams like IIT- JEE, AIEEE etc. In such a case where would they find time to give the paper again," Principal of Army Public School Manjula Raman said while talking to the Bangalore Mirror.
G Srinivasan of GEAR International School seconded her opinion saying such an exam was not logistically feasible.
"Generally the board would not go for this option as it is very complicated. It is not easy to conduct an all India level board exam again specially with so many other exams already scheduled," he said.
Speaking on the issue of grace marks, Srinivasan said, "It would be something that the board might look at. The calculation of the grace mark would be done by a moderation committee set up by the board. This will be done however after evaluation and mark calculation but before the results are handed over to the students."
The Times of India Nagpur however has reported that the board has referred the matter to the subject commitee.
"After receiving feedback about maths paper the board decided to refer it to the committee before finalization of the marking scheme", the board's public relation officer Rama Sharma said while talking to the TOI.
"The marking scheme is sent to evaluators as a blueprint for checking and marking the paper", Sharma added.
"All of this should happen soon though I cannot give you an exact date. There is obviously a time factor as the evaluations also have to start", he said.
There have been complaints about both Std X and XII papers and the difficulty level. Students felt the Std X paper was both tough and lengthy, though schools are convinced it was more of latter.
"The mathematics exam was very tough. The questions asked in the exam were not direct. It was way beyond our level and was equivalent to the IIT-JEE test," said Somil Pahuja, who could not attempt many of the questions.
Vertika Mishra said most students came out from the exam hall crying.
"All of us were left depressed after taking the exam. We are now very skeptical of doing well, though maths is my favourite subject and I always score well," Vertika told IANS.
"I don't think I shall be able to score more than 50 percent in the paper," she said, demanding the CBSE board to conduct the exam again.
The matter was also raised in the Lok Sabha on Thursday by a senior Congress MP.
Board officials on the other hand said there have been some changes in the pattern of the maths paper and that schools may not have been "intimated accordingly" in that regard.
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