Schools focused on learning story

New Delhi: With less than three months to go for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board examination for students of classes 10 and 12, teachers and principals of Delhi government schools are concerned about low-scoring children who were promoted from classes 9 and 11 as per a revised assessment policy involving scores based on assignment and grace marks.

The move led to a significant increase in pass percentages for students of classes 9 and 11. In May last year, HT had reported that the pass percentage in class 9 had gone up from 58.6% in the previous academic session to 64.5%. For class 11, this number went from 84.8% to 96.2%.

Awadhesh Kumar Jha, head of Sarvodaya co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini Sector 8, said most schools, including his, are engaging in targeted intervention for these students. “Children who were promoted on the basis of revised promotion policy are mostly the same ones who weren’t able to attend online classes during the pandemic and don’t attend offline classes even now. They are the ones that need focused attention.”

Last year following the Covid-19 lockdown, the Delhi government had devised a one-time revised promotion policy for students of class 9 and 11 where students were promoted using grace marks and assignments. Students who could not appear for their exams either due to the pandemic or the Delhi riots were given marks proportional to their mid-term results as well.

A senior education department official, who asked not be named, said, “These students are on the radar of our teachers and targeted interventions are being made for their learning. Schools have made a list of these students and are monitoring their performance and attendance regularly. Apart from sufficient writing practice and regular tests, teachers are focusing on chapters or lessons which will help the students score easily. In addition to this, teachers have ‘adopted’ such students and will be looking after the performance of that particular student under them along with their mental well-being.”

In addition to these, schools and teachers have devised their own methods to address the learning gaps. For instance, Jha said he had divided students into two groups on the basis of how they were promoted — via grace marks or assignment. “This helped teachers focus their attention to a homogenous group. We are now planning to print three sets of sample papers prepared by the education department for a particular subject, write the answers on those papers, and distribute among these students. Internal tests on these papers will ensure that students are able to retain the information and perform well in their board exams,” he said.

Bijesh Kumar Sharma, principal of Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, said the school had also taken help from the local community. “We have a lot of Afghan students who face language issues, or visually-impaired children who need assistance. Since we have been involved with the local community for the past few years, we roped in homemakers, volunteers, or members of resident welfare associations or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who could help us in the matter,” he said.

Several principals said that many among these students were not attending school even now — making it even more difficult for teachers. Mudassir Jahan, head of school at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya at Noor Nagar, said, “The attendance for these students is also low and we are trying to get them to school. We have made announcements through local mosques, asking students to attend for classes. The challenge here is that these students have to be motivated more than others to even attend school. Even in class 9 or previous classes, they reported a low attendance record affecting their academic performance.”

CBSE schools reopening

On Thursday, CBSE said it would be “appropriate” to start the 2021-22 academic session from April 1 as per the feasibility of state governments. A senior education department official had said that it would not be feasible as mid-term exams in Delhi government schools are slated to continue till mid-April.

Sukhbir Singh Yadav, president of Vice and Principals’ Association of Delhi, said, “In addition to mid-terms which will continue till mid-April, schools have to follow social distancing for students of class 9 to 12. Classes have been split into multiple batches and all our rooms are being used for these purposes. Calling other classes from April 1 won’t be feasible. What we can do is complete the admission process by then and start schools in July once board exams are also completed.”