Class XII board exams: No more moderation of marks

The CBSE is today holding several examinations while it has to take care of 18,000 schools affiliated to it.

The moderation of the Class XII board examination marks have been stopped from this year onwards. States such as Karnataka, Punjab and Kerala have stopped the moderation according to Human Resources Minister Prakash Javadekar. He said that most of the state school examination boards accepted the ministry's proposal to stop the practice at a meeting held here recently.

"Karnataka, Punjab, Kerala and three-four other states have decided to stop moderation of board marks from this year itself. I hope the remaining states will also join in to end the practice," he said while presenting a three-year report card of his ministry at a press conference here.

On the ministry's decision to propose tweaking of no-detention policy stipulated under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Javadekar said a bill to amend the law is ready and will be soon placed before the Union Cabinet for its decision. The proposed amendments to the RTE Act would enable the state governments to hold annual examinations for classes V and VIII. However, students of these two classes will have to be given one additional chance to clear the examination.

"If a student fails in the second examination also, he or she will be detained in the same class," he said. The amendment bill to tweak the no-detention policy has been brought in following a demand from as many as 25 states to make schools, teachers, parents and students accountable, and not to punish anyone, he said.

Once the amendment bill gets the Cabinet's nod, we will introduce it in Parliament for its passage," he added. The HRD minister also told reporters that a proposal for setting up a National Testing Agency (NTA) was also ready.

The CBSE is today holding several examinations while it has to take care of 18,000 schools affiliated to it. Most of the developed countries have a separate agency to hold examinations. The Union Cabinet will soon take a decision on the proposal for setting up the NTA, the minister also added.

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