School Board cuts exam burden by half

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Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Board has divided curriculum into two parts; the first semester portion won’t be repeated in second term exams

By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, July 21, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20100721201007210301299167ec936d5)
Sixty schools of Ahmedabad district have begun implementation of semester system on trial basis in their class 9, as was recommended by Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB).
The GSHSEB had decided on introduction of semester system in class 9 and 10 and in the science stream in class 11 and 12 at a meeting held on July 4. Accordingly, it was introduced in class 9 in 60 schools including CN Vidyalaya, Vidyanagar School, Usmanpura, Sharda School, Sola, Lotus School and Chipa Welfare, Jamalpur.
The semester system involves dividing the syllabus into two parts. Students will only have to prepare for one semester at a time. The objective is to reduce the burden of students who presently have to study the syllabus of the entire year. This, the board authorities believe, will discourage mugging and give students a better chance to grasp the subject. What may sound music to the ears of the students, the first semester course will not be repeated in the second semester, cutting the examination burden of the students by half.
The idea behind implementing semester system in schools is to lessen the burden on the students. In the past, many cases of psychological problems as well as suicide have been registered. Therefore, this practise will allow both the pupils and their parents relax during the exams.
CN Vidyalaya Principal Hiterndra Trivedi said, “In the traditional exam system the kids have to focus on mugging up the entire syllabus. This restricts true learning and their development. The semester system being implemented will facilitate students’ real development.”
Trivedi also said that the new system will help teachers monitor the progress of the students more regularly. Sources in Education Department said that the semester system will lead to students’ assessment at micro level, too. Pupils’ formative and summative assessment will be conducted to monitor their growth in each semester.
The weightage of the assessments will be 40 and 60 respectively. As part of the project, the students will get grades on two aspects: academic and extra-curricular (social) activities. The grades will also be converted into percentile to monitor the growth of the students.
The first semester will be from June 15 to October 15 while the second will be from October 16 to April 16.

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