Chennai: The nearly two-month delay in declaring the results of the CBSE Class X second board exam has left school heads upset, many of whom feel that the test was a failed attempt by the board.The CBSE introduced the second board exam for Class X this academic year, deviating from the improvement exam held in June/July and allowing students to opt for up to three subjects and improve their scores. While the exam was held between May 15 and 21, the results were declared after 59 days on Saturday evening, hardly a week before the Class 12 supplementary exam.“The results were supposed to come by the second or third week of June. It would have been ideal for a student to change his/her stream if their scores had improved. But 59 days is a prolonged delay, and many students have already moved on and settled in their respective streams. What’s the use of releasing the results now?” a principal of a prominent school on OMR said.A section of school heads said the board’s approach towards declaring results was lax. “More than 500 teachers were on duty for the exam, giving up their vacation days and coming back after Class 12 evaluation. There was also the CBSE portal glitch at the time, putting all teachers under tremendous pressure. However, the seriousness shown in conducting the exam wasn’t shown in declaring the results,” another principal said.Nationally, 3.08 lakh candidates out of 5.13 lakh (59.95%) improved their scores in the second exam. A section of city students, however, said that the improvement in scores was marginal, indicating a stringent evaluation despite a moderate paper.However, a few school heads said that teachers can spare additional time to assist students looking to shift streams. “Though it is challenging, it can be arranged if a student is willing to shift, especially for challenging subjects like math. Evenings can be used, and a student will be provided support from the school to catch up on the portions,” said J Sundar, principal, Bala Vidya Mandir.Educationists said the board had to plan its exams more efficiently. “This results cycle for CBSE was marred by technical glitches and portal errors, which subsequently delayed results. Ultimately, it is the students who stand to lose. The board must rectify the gaps and ensure redress in the coming years,” said Balaji Sampath, educationist.
