Most students are quite happy with the
date-sheet Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations released by
the board recently, but a minor fault in the date-sheet is confusing for many
schools and students.
The date-sheet released by the board for
Class X mentions examination for English Communicative (EC) (subject code 101)
scheduled on February 26. The board had decided to discontinue the EC course
for Class 9 and 10 across the country as announced in March 2018.
The
examination according to the date-sheet is scheduled on the same day as English
Literature and Language (ELL). With the decision of removing EC, the second
option of ELL had become the mandatory subject by default.
Discussing the date-sheet, a school
principal requesting anonymity said, “CBSE has put in a lot of efforts to prepare
a date-sheet considering student’s perspective.” She was confused when some
students came to her office, asking her why the school did not allow them to
study EC.
“Students went through the date-sheets and
noticed EC examination on the same day as ELL, whereas we told the students
that EC is not an option anymore,” the principal said. Checking with the
regional office of CBSE, now in Bhopal, the principal was able to assure
students that it was just confusion.
“There have been issues with date-sheets in
previous years, but it is wonderful to see that all the students are upbeat and
happy with it this year,” another school principal said. He elaborated that the
error in the date-sheet has been troublesome.
“There is a considerable difference in EC
and ELL, and on some level, many students found EC much easier than ELL, so it
was shocking for them to see EC exam,” a teacher shared on the condition on
anonymity.
Student friendly date-sheet
Unlike the previous years, there has been
no protest from students about the date-sheets. Most students are delighted and
appreciate the board for giving them enough time to prepare. "The
date-sheet is good, it gives us ample time to prepare for each exam,” a group
of students including Vanya, Gunjan, Himanshu and Vartika said.
However, some Class X students expressed
sorrow over Mathematics exam being scheduled for March 12 as the festival of
Holi is falling on March 10 next year. "I wish Mathematics paper was done
before Holi so that we could enjoy the festival," said Kaniksha Sharma a
Class X student.