Tuesday, July 12 2005 20:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Good news for students appearing for Board examinations next year. They will get 15 minutes to study the question paper before getting down to write answers but the time will not be deducted from total exam duration.

Besides, internal assessment in Mathematics, Sciences and Social Sciences are some of the features planned by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from next Board Examinations.

Questions papers would be set in such a way that they could be answered in a time of two and a half hours although the students would have three hours to answer them.

These measures, aimed at making stress-free exams, were contained in a presentation made by CBSE Chairman Ashok Ganguly at a meeting of Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to HRD Ministry in New Delhi today (July 12, 2005).

He said initiatives would be taken to introduce internal assessment in mathematics, sciences and social sciences based on project work and assignment.

This, Ganguly said, would give adequate thrust on continuous learning in classrooms and assessment of the performance of students on a holistic base covering wide range of learning skills rather than one examination at the secondary level.

Chairing the meeting, HRD Minister Arjun Singh said CBSE would take a series of measures from next Board Examinations to make it stress-free.

He said there was a need to evolve a "collective commonsense" while dealing with a sensitive subject like education, which concerns not only students but also the entire nation.

Singh said the topic of making examinations stress-free should not be a one off debate but an ongoing discussion.

Taking part in the discussions, several members felt that there was a need to make learning a joyful experience so that the examinations at the end of the terms do not become stressful.

The CBSE has already a provision for only one theory paper for all subjects in Board examinations for Classes 10 and 12, Ganguli said adding other State Boards have been requested to have one question paper for each subject in such examinations.

CBSE has already initiated steps for finalising the pattern of grades which would be introduced at the earliest, he said.

The Board has also made it clear that not more than one pre-Board examination should be conducted by the schools, he said.

Referring to ransacking by ABVP activists at the last meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), Singh said certain group of people were not prepared to look at or discuss the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2005.

Some members felt arts and crafts should find a respectable place in the education system to help children develop skills in fields other than academic activities.