Monday, June 13, 2016

`Textbooks of state board have lacunae'



`Textbooks of state board have lacunae'

State Unhappy With SSC, HSC Performances Education Secy Says Aim Is For Quality

The state education department has decided to introduce a common exam for state board schools in Std IX from this academic year. Although the government denies it, the move has ostensibly been prompted by the growing number of schools failing weak students in Std IX in order to achieve 100% results in the SSC (Class X) exam.

So while schools will conduct the exam, check answer sheets and declare results for Std IX, a common question paper will be set by the Maharashtra state board of secondary & higher secondary education. Applying the same logic, the board will introduce a common exam for Std XI too.Thus, all exams from Std IX till HSC will have question papers set by the state board.

At the primary level, the state education department started the Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra (educationally progressive Maharashtra) scheme to improve the quality of education. On the same lines, the state education department is also looking at secondary education to improve student performance. Top officials recently met at the Maharashtra Sta te Council of Educatio nal Research and Training (MSCERT) in Pune to discuss various steps to raise the level of education as well as board students' performance.

State education secretary Nand Kumar, who headed the meeting, told TOI, “Our constant aim is to provide quality education and bring state board students on par with CBSE or ICSE in all ways.With the introduction of a common question paper, a standard will be set across state board schools. Also, a recent study stated that the CBSE board topped in terms of quality of education. The Maharashtra board's performance was not satisfactory. In subjects like Marathi, English, Maths and Science, Maharashtra had scored 250 marks out of 400. We are aiming for 300 in this performance audit, for which we will introduce schemes, of which common question papers for standards IX and XI is one.“ Kumar said improving the quality of education was the prime reason for introducing the change.

The state education department last year conducted three baseline tests for students from Std II-VIII. The exam aims to check if concepts students are taught in the previous year are clear.

Kumar also said that despite the syllabus of the state board and CBSE board being on par from Std IX to XII, there are lacunae in the format of state board textbooks. “In exams, easy questions are asked. Even if one question is difficult or out of the textbook, students make an issue of it. This attitude should be changed and we will have to set a tough exam. Always asking easy questions to students will not build a competitive aptitude among them.The students won't be ready to face the competitive world.Hence, the department is thinking of changing the exam pattern and the format of textbooks. An expert committee will work on these aspects and the details will be disclosed,“ Kumar said.

Source | Times of India | 14 June 2016

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