Change is compulsory in our life. If we don’t change then we are not living life but rather halting it. The respected CBSE board thought that it was time for a drastic change to take place in the system of examination.

From the Academic Year 2017-18, the CBSE board decided to change the examination system into something completely new.

From the children’s perspective, it appears that the new system is a bit unfair as students who have completed the same classes did not have this system in the previous years. So a question arises, is it of any worth to change the entire system of examination and undergo a lot of trouble or should the same old familiar and hassle-free system of examination be followed.

As per CBSE, Class 10 will have only board exams and no school based exam. Also, Class 10 will have the entire portion as their syllabus unlike the FA2 portion in the previous years.

For classes 5-9, my school Bhavans will have assessments periodically. There will be three unit tests in a year each carrying 30 marks. From this, the two best, will be taken and brought down to ten marks. Another five marks is assigned for punctuality of the students in completing homework, assignments and maintaining notebooks. Another 5 marks for the activities conducted in different subjects. Thus, internal assessment is 10+5+5=20.

Then, there are three examinations in a year. Midterm 1 in August, Midterm 2 in December and the Final in March. The paper will be of 80 marks and of 3 hours’ duration.

But then why make children suffer a lot at such a young age and deprive them of their sweet, precious time. Forming a new system of examination would build up stress and tension and children may not get enough free time for themselves. Do you know that stress and tension actually accelerate the aging process of children and make them appear much older than they actually are?

So first of all when did this new idea conceive in the mind of the think tanks? The CBSE conducted an online survey for Principals, Teachers and parents which ran for 6 months. After this, they did a thorough investigation and thought a change is essential. A lot of parents opined that the activities that had been given previously were mostly done by them not by the children. Marks were given liberally if you were into sports and extracurricular activities which eventually paved way for children neglecting academics and shifting gear to sports and extracurricular activities.

I am sure this was not an easy step for CBSE to take. Also, the Principals and the teachers must have had to undergo a lot of training to adapt to this new change and I am sure this new system is very challenging for them too. But as you all know teachers do a lot of things only for our benefit and not theirs. The principal, vice principal and teachers set this system up for the simple reason of helping the younger children prepare for their tenth standard board exams in a better and effective way.

So, you might be wondering, with the new system of examination, how we can have enough time to play or even spend time with our family. The answer is simple, ‘Time management’. We probably sleep for eight hours every day and we go to school for eight hours.

That means we still have eight hours free. By dividing this time properly we will have enough time to study, play and spend with our family. So the key is to manage and divide our time judiciously so that we can live our life fruitfully.

Finally, I conclude by saying that let us embrace this Academic year positively and do away with any negative thoughts. Let us accept this change in the new system with enthusiasm and vigor.

As students let us study daily so we do not feel the pressure during the exam time. Let us all strive to excel in our studies and make our parents and teachers proud of us. But at the same time… relax and enjoy this new Academic Year as well.