CBSE: Maths is no longer a threat in Class 10

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced two levels of exams for maths for Class 10 of the 2019-20 academic year. This is to give students who are “not keen to pursue higher studies in mathematics” an easier way out.

The 2-level mathematics is essentially a change in the exam pattern because the syllabus for both levels remains the same. Although the changes are welcome, there is uncertainty among students and parents, school officials said.

According to the CBSE circular released on January 10, 2019, “the syllabus, classroom teaching and internal assessment for both the levels of examination would remain the same” so that the students are “able to decide upon the level of board examination depending upon their attitude and abilities”.

Standard and basic

The changes mean that there will be two levels of difficulty, basic and standard, with basic being easier than the current exam pattern which is of the standard level. “There is no major change in the syllabus at all. The changes are only in the exam patterns. The CBSE has just dropped the HOTS questions [for the basic level],” says L.V Sehgal, principal of Bal Bharti Public School at Ganga Ram Hospital Marg in Delhi. The HOTS are the “higher order thinking skill” questions which primarily test the students’ ability to apply their mathematical knowledge to problems. The standard level will essentially follow the same pattern of questions as in previous years.

Educators have welcomed the options provided in a subject that has seen “the most student casualties (failures)”. “It is a question of the interest of the child. If the child cannot cope with the higher level of mathematics, what is the alternative for them? They cannot be punished because they don’t have an aptitude for mathematics,” said S K Bhattacharya, president, Action Committee of Unaided Recognized Private Schools in Delhi.

In Delhi, it has been reported that a large majority of government school students have opted for basic level mathematics. One principal of a Delhi government school told Careers360 that only 33 out of 136 students in Class 10 have opted for standard level mathematics. He added that the subject saw the “most failures”.

Parental pressure

However, school authorities are worried that students weak in mathematics might still opt for the standard-level test due to parental pressure. “Parents don’t want their children to be branded as ‘weak’. The branding of those taking the ‘standard’ level as good and ‘basic’ as not good may occur,” says R. Stella Hebzi Bai, principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Neriamangalam, Kerala.

“Though the students may know that they don’t have the skill they might still opt for standard level. We can’t do anything about that. Some have already changed from basic to standard,” Bai added. The CBSE had introduced a five-day window in September for students who wished to change their options.

Some schools have already conducted orientation sessions for parents and students to help them understand the difference between the two levels. “We conducted orientations sessions for parents where we presented each students’ achievements in half-yearly examinations in Classes 9 and 10, their current performance and how they performed in the past examinations and based on that advised parents on what their ward should ideally take,” said Dr. R.K Srivastava, Maheswari Public School, Ajmer, Rajasthan.

Option to change

The CBSE has also given those students who have opted for standard to change it if they fail the exams. According to the circular, a student who has failed in standard mathematics can go for a re-test in basic mathematics.

The CBSE also gives a student who has qualified basic level mathematics an option to appear in standard level mathematics at the time of compartment examinations, “in case the student changes his or her mind and wants to pursue mathematics at senior secondary level”.

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