Principals want Class XI marks to be considered

Principals want Class XI marks to be considered

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.06.2021

School principals and educationists on Saturday welcomed the state government’s decision cancelling the Class XII state board exams keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic and students’ safety. Since there was no common quarterly or halfyearly exam for Class XII students, principals urged the state government to consider the students’ Class XI exam marks while computing results.

The state government on Saturday announced that it would form a committee headed by the school education secretary to decide on the modalities to award marks to Class XII students.

“There was no common exam conducted for Class XII students, so the best method going forward would be to award weightage to the common quarterly, half-yearly and annual exams conducted when they were in Class XI. They can include marks from the Class XII practical and internal exams completed in April this year,” said G J Manohar, principal of MCC Higher Secondary School in Chetpet. Taking the average of these three exams could be one way to avoid legal issues, he added.

The school education department completed practical exams for all Class XII students before the closure of the schools.

“For theory papers, the school education department should consider Class X and XI board exams. The past two board exams or common exams should be the yardstick to measure the performance,” said B Purushothaman, senior principal of Everwin Group of Schools in Chennai.

Career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi said it was a bold decision by the state government and one that prioritised health. “Tamil Nadu government should wait and take decisions on awarding marks to Class XII students by considering decisions taken by other state boards. It should consider all best practices and evaluate student performances accordingly,” Gandhi said.

P B Prince Gajendrababu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System, welcomed the decision saying it was taken with the best interests of children in mind. “The decision taken by the government of Tamil Nadu is based on a medical report and the fact that there is no provision to vaccinate children below18 years of age. The government has further said admission to arts, science and engineering colleges will be based on higher secondary marks and that there won’t be any entrance exam,” he said.

... award weightage to the common quarterly, half-yearly and annual exams conducted when they were in Class XI. They can include marks from the Class XII practical and internal exams completed in April this year

G J MANOHAR | Principal, MCC Higher Secondary School