Assam plan for higher marks

HS question paper pattern to change

A STAFF REPORTER

For A better future Guwahati, Nov. 6: Assam Higher Secondary students, who for years have been pushed out of admission lists in India’s leading colleges by skyrocketing CBSE scores, will soon have a better chance at making it to their favourite institutions. An objective-type CBSE- style question paper designed to garner higher scores, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council is hoping, will put the state’s students in a better position to compete for the country’s top colleges. An AHSEC official said the questions would be more precise, requiring short answers. He said the prime objective of the change was to ensure that brilliant students from the state were not deprived of seats in the country’s leading institutions because of lower aggregate marks than those from the CBSE and other state board students. The AHSEC secretary, U. Deka, said the changes would come into effect within two years and brainstorming sessions are on about new modules. “Even though the overall pass percentage in higher secondary final examinations in science, arts and commerce streams has been increasing every year, the individual aggregate marks is not increasing simultaneously. The number of distinction and first division marks holders is declining every year. “In the 2008-09 final examinations of Class XII under the AHSEC, less that 10 students could score more than 90 per cent individual aggregate marks. On the other hand, AHSEC has found that the number of students scoring more than 90 per cent marks in Class XII final examination under CBSE in Assam was far above that of the AHSEC. This is a serious matter and needs to be addressed immediately to enable our students to compete with their counterparts in the rest of the country,” an official said. The official said the council is working on a system of setting question papers in a new style for examinees of science, arts and commerce streams. “For example, instead of writing long paragraphs on whether one has understood a particular theory in physics or chemistry, a student will have to write either yes or no to questions about the theory,” he said. According to the official, AHSEC has already been able to incorporate some changes into the HS examinations by following recommendations of the Council of Boards of School Education (CoBSE). The CoBSE provides a common platform for consultation to ensure quality school education. “The AHSEC is trying to do away with the stress factor from the examination system and accordingly chalking out a new question paper module. Question papers will be easy and can be completed early to allow adequate time for revision to avoid mistakes by students. According to the CoBSE recommendations, examiners are being sensitised to abandon their conservative mentality of awarding low marks to students,” the official said.