India
The new system of evaluation will give teachers much more authority than they currently have and also much more responsibility.
Updated : Feb 01, 2012, 04:08 PM IST
The routine parent-teacher meeting at schools may no longer stay routine. The school-based comprehensive evaluation (SCE) system that the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has decided to implement from the next academic year, could impact the relationship between students and teachers.
The new system of evaluation will give teachers much more authority than they currently have and also much more responsibility.
The school can judge the scholastic and non-scholastic skills of students which will carry a 30% weightage in the GSHSEB mark-sheet. The rest 70% marks in the final results will be given as per the students’ performance in the written test conducted by the GSHSEB.
However, GSHSEB officials insist the new system will ease the burden on students as the weightage given to written exams has been reduced.
However, a counter-argument is emerging about the wisdom of giving so much power to teachers, especially to those who are notorious for running private tuitions, even though it is illegal.
Principals and education experts concede that with power comes greater responsibility. “There is possibility of misuse of power by teachers but I am sure there are measures to check such practice,” said Hitendra Trivedi, principal and board member of Sheth CN Vidyavihar.
Trivedi feels that it would be difficult for teachers to favour students. He said there are four formative exams worth 100 marks to check students’ participation in activities like quiz, sports, cultural programme apart from academic skills in two summative exams worth 100 marks.
“Only 20% of the total summative exams and 10% of the formative exams will be considered in board exam results. As these tests are going to be conducted throughout the year, it will not be possible for teachers to favour students all the time,” he said.
“There is possibility of schoolteachers favouring students of their tuition class. But in long term, I think the system demands better attendance from the students as there will be continuous exams (formative and summative) at the school level. As a result of regular attendance at school, students might gradually stop going to tuition classes,” said Ranjeeta Gill, principal, HB Kapadia School.