Indian Schools in Gulf : Class 10 board exam confusion clarified

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By Kabeer Yousuf - MUSCAT — Those who are going to complete class 10 from the Indian Schools in the Gulf including the Sultanate of Oman need not take a board exam if they are continuing their studies in the same school for senior secondary classes, according to the Indian school authorities here. Others, who are determined to leave their present school for joining any CBSE or ICSE/state board institution in India will have to take the CBSE conducted external examination in March this year by registering through their own Indian schools in the Sultanate.

However, those Indian schools in the Sultanate like Al Seeb, Ibri, Ibra, Rustaq which are only up to Class 10, need to take CBSE conducted examinations for all five subjects of study in March this year and accordingly register for CBSE exams through their school. This clearly indicates that students of ISM/ISG/ISWK/Indian School Muladha, Salalah, or any school in Muscat up to Class 12, need not take the board exam. They will take the school based examination.

However for standardisation, CBSE is sending all question papers, set by the schools to conduct school based summative examination, scheduled also in March. The only difference is the school-based evaluation is done by the schoolteachers teaching the subject. Question paper is from the CBSE controller's office. Each school will get a separate set of standardised question papers with perfect reliability and validity.

“Hence taking school bases examination is good for the students as there will be full justice to evaluation, unlike in the past we get complaints that a student was expecting high 90’s but he got only 40’s or a compartment”, Achuthan Madhav (pictured), Principal, ISM, told the Observer. “But in cases the present class 10 students' parents have decided to further their studies in India in another Board ICSE/State Board/matriculation/pre- Degree etc (where in some states like Maharashtra) domicile of two years of study in 11th and 12th and are determined to not to continue in their present school, all such students have to take CBSE conducted board exam in March. If they are going to study in the same school for +2 they cannot take the board exam”, he further clarified.

Of late, a number of parents have been confused as to the future of their children in terms of relocating their studies when they shift their place of work. He reiterated that school based exam is beneficial and good for students, unless they plan to study elsewhere in institutions in India. In case of emergencies due to parent’s job shifting to other Gulf states or to India, CBSE has provided Online Proficiency Tests in all five subjects, which can be taken online within 15 days by setting examination dates at the convenience of students.

The exams will be done online with the same question bank sent to schools, with the same curricular content set by CBSE standards. Together with school based evaluation report sealed and authenticated by CBSE Delhi and the results of Online CBSE performance downloaded report, any board/institution in India or Gulf should accept the student for admission in 11th standard/HSC first year/pre-Degree 1. In all situations ISM principal requested parents to go for school based exams, in the interest of their ward’s education and not to get confused.

He confirmed the other way round is also valid. “For example, a student from a CBSE school in Kerala opting to join here can do so without any eligibility test provided he/she has the CBSE certification from his state. If at all there is any doubt as to the student's eligibility, he/she is to be given an equivalent admission test so that the school can admit that particular student”. The essence is to help students to move on in their march for higher education, Madhav said.

He further advised the parents that they should not be under the impression that their ward in class 10 can write school based exam and also register for CBSE exam. Such notion is wrong as once the student registered for CBSE Board exam he/she has to leave the school and must exit the school by the end of March (school will issue Transfer Certificate). In case they do not get into their chosen institution or are not successful in their attempts to join other boards they can come back to join their parent institution for class 11, provided seats are available.”

In case of students continuing in their own schools by taking school based exams, they will automatically get admission in their own schools with proper choice of streams in Science/Commerce/Humanities by requirement of minimum grade attainment standards set by the parent school, says ISM principal.

Courtesy: http://www.main.omanobserver.om