'Chalk-and-talk teaching method will change'

Niyati Rana
It will be as much a thorny affair as flowery for teachers teaching class X students. The implementation of School-Based Comprehensive Evaluation (SCE) will offer the lucrative chance of establishing private tutorials to teachers as there will be 30% weightage to marks obtained in school exams, formative and summative. However, the responsibilities and workload will also increase three times for them.
Some of the teachers DNA spoke to were happy with the change in the system that empowers teachers and school authorities to award 30% of marks in class X exam conducted by Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) in 2013. The remaining 70% marks will be from the exams conducted by the board.
Teachers said that as the school-based exams-two summative and four formative-will be taken by school teachers, the move may increase the number of students rushing to them for private tuitions. "But it may be noted that teachers will set two major papers for two summative exams and even check these papers. This will be apart from conducting the four formative exams in two terms- which will follow innovative methods, including assignments, classroom activities, quiz etc. And to come up with new ways of evaluating students' understanding of the syllabus will be an acid test for teachers," said one of the teachers.
He said, such challenges before the teachers will force them to come out of the comfort zone of 'chalk and talk' teaching tactics. "Also, teachers will have to carefully see the method of completion of syllabus as the board has set the deadline to conduct formative test in first and second term. This will also force teachers to complete the syllabus faster and with more accuracy for kids' benefit," said another teacher. He said this would force teachers to study new methods and work hard throughout the year.   
Some of the difficulties faced by teachers are the way of conducting summative exam as there will be no jumbled-up questions in exams conducted by schools. This might provide opportunities for cheating during exam.
"No matter what, teachers will be happy with the new system as it offers to boost their private tutorials business," said another teacher. Experts, however, feel that training for teachers about performing comprehension evaluation would also be important.
Hasmukh Hingu, former chairman of GSHSEB, said that there is need for comprehensive and continuous monitoring of the student's progress and behavioural changes right from class VIII. "Moreover, our teachers are trained for continuous and comprehensive
monitoring of the students. There is also a possibility of manipulation of system by teachers and schools. The system was in place long back but was discontinued and new independent examination system by the board was started probably because of lacuna of this system," he said. 
(With inputs from
Jitendra Dave)