Why Andhra Pradesh govt reversed its decision to let nearly 80,000 state board students take CBSE exam

First, wherefore did immoderate Andhra schools power to CBSE?

Under the YSRCP government, 1,000 of the 6,845 authorities precocious schools successful the authorities were affiliated with the CBSE successful 2023. Around 76,990 students from these schools were expected to look for the CBSE Class 10 committee exams successful the existent world year.

The determination was portion of the government’s larger program to present changes successful the acquisition system. In 2021, erstwhile AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy asked officials to get all authorities schools affiliated with CBSE.

After the TDP authorities announced the reversal, Reddy said successful a station connected X that the cancellation “denies prime education” to students. He called the determination “anti-poor”, “regressive” and discriminatory against authorities schools’ students.

In response, Nara Lokesh, AP’s Minister for Human Resource Development, wrote connected X that the aboriginal of those students had go uncertain due to the fact that they were required to constitute exams successful the CBSE system, and the alteration was brought successful without grooming the teachers.

What prompted the reversal?

In August, the authorities assessed Class 10 students crossed these schools with question papers acceptable according to CBSE standards.

According to the state’s School Education Secretary Kona Sasidhar, this was done due to the fact that “feedback was received from a batch of quarters that students were not prepared”, and determination had been nary “base-level appraisal to spot whether these schools were equipped” for the CBSE appraisal earlier the switch.

The appraisal was successful English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The determination connected exams was reversed aft students’ show was recovered to beryllium “alarmingly poor,” according to a connection from the authorities government.

Of 1,000 schools, 326 had a walk percent of zero, meaning each students failed successful each 4 subjects. The passing people was 35. More than fractional the schools – 556 – had a walk percent successful the 1% to 25% range. A full of 66 schools had a walk percent successful the 26% to 50% range, portion 37 schools recorded a walk percent of 51% to 75%.

Only 14 schools had a walk percent of 76% to 99%, and lone 1 schoolhouse saw each students clearing each subjects.

Officials said that they had expected the mean marks to beryllium astatine slightest astir 55 to 60, and students whitethorn past person been capable to amended with remedial measures. “We didn’t deliberation we would person to reverse this. When the results came, we realised things were truly bad,” an authoritative said.

What has this show been attributed to?

Sasidhar said, “CBSE and State committee person antithetic methods of assessment. In the authorities board, it is much of rote memorisation, consecutive from the textbook. Students inactive enactment effort there, but it’s different… A CBSE appraisal involves captious thinking, on with lawsuit study-based and analytical questions,” helium said. The quality persists contempt AP authorities schools utilizing NCERT textbooks.

The authorities connection stated that the “underperformance besides reflects challenges successful the government’s accelerated modulation to the CBSE system”, and that without important betterment these students hazard failing their exams, perchance starring to a higher dropout rate.

“Till Class 9, these students were being assessed successful the State committee way. Overnight, they cannot beryllium asked to look for thing different. Neither were the teachers trained for this, nor were the students exposed to this benignant of assessment,” Sasidhar said.

What happens next?

Sasidhar said the authorities volition present changes successful earlier classes. “We volition commencement improving appraisal standards gradually, from Class 6 onwards successful the adjacent world year, crossed each authorities schools. Let’s accidental we present multiple-choice questions, casual lawsuit studies, and a fewer analytical questions. We volition besides see grooming for teachers, truthful they tin beryllium reoriented,” helium said.

As for the displacement to CBSE, helium said the authorities is “not against it.” “We are not cancelling it; we person lone deferred it this year. We are saying it has to beryllium a gradual process, and let’s archetypal physique capacity,” helium added.

On students who are successful Class 9 this year, and whether they are apt to beryllium registered for adjacent year’s committee exams, Sasidhar said, “We whitethorn instrumentality immoderate time. Now that we person got the baseline assessment, we are successful nary hurry… the absorption volition beryllium connected learning outcomes, and we are looking astatine improving prime successful teaching and assessment.”