End of rote learning? | BOSE coming up with CBSE-pattern question papers for secondary classes
Syed Rizwan Geelani
Srinagar, January 11 :The J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) is working out modalities to adopt the question paper of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the students of class 9th and 10th in Jammu and Kashmir.
The move comes a year after the board adopted the CBSE pattern of question papers for class 11th and 12th.
A BOSE official said that the compilation of model papers was under process and would be soon available on the official website of BOSE.
He said the formal announcement about the adoption of CBSE pattern of question papers would soon be made for its implementation from the current academic session.
“After completion of question paper design, we will update the syllabus for class 9th and 10th students as well and make it available for the students,” the official said. “The class 9th and 10th syllabus will be updated according to any changes made in the textbooks.”
He said the class 9th and 10th students would have CBSE pattern of question paper in their annual regular 2021 board exams.
“We will start it from Kashmir and winter zones of Jammu from this year. The CBSE pattern of question paper is adopted to take students to the national level and help them prepare for national-level competitive exams like NEET and JEE,” he said.
The official said that BOSE was not adopting all the practices of CBSE but was selective in copying only good practices.
“We found that their question paper pattern is good and of high standard, so we decided to adopt it for our students,” the official said.
An official dealing with the subject said the board decided to adopt the CBSE pattern of question paper keeping in view its high standards which prompts a student to apply his mind rather than recalling answers.
“The questions in CBSE pattern are more conceptual for which students need application of mind instead of rote learning. Students use thinking skills to answer questions in the CBSE pattern of question paper,” he said.
The official said the New Education Policy 2020 also lays stress on assessing communication skills of students which could not be done through theory exams.
“In CBSE, subjects have weightage for theory, practical and projects as well. So, in case of language subjects, students will be assessed externally to assess their communication skills which will be part of their score card,” he said.
However, the official said that the pivotal role was played by the teachers who were assigned the job to set the question papers.
“The paper setter should be well trained to set the question paper of high standard. She or he should be able to make the exact selection of questions, otherwise adoption of any pattern will not make any difference,” he said.(GK)
