CHAOS, CONFUSION ABOUT BOARD EXAMS IN CLASSES 5, 8

More states have framed policies for public exams in elementary school from 2023. But private schools are caught in a fix over them.

- Sheena Sachdeva

From 2023, more states will hold public exams in elementary school - Classes 5 and 8. Haryana announced exams for these classes in 2022 but postponed their launch to 2023; Madhya Pradesh announced and conducted exams in 2022; Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Assam will hold them from 2023. Some, including Punjab and Rajasthan, had already been holding them.

In most cases, the state government directives apply to all recognised government and private schools. But given the differing management structures and board affiliations of schools in each state, this has caused widespread confusion.

Private schools in Haryana, for example, either oppose having public exams in elementary school - Classes 1 to 8 - or are confused about who is to conduct them. Many of these institutions are recognised by the Haryana government but are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the private Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). Then, states also have private schools that are affiliated to state boards. Policies also vary from state to state. In Assam, the exams are only for state-run schools.

Kulbhushan Sharma, president, Haryana Private Schools Association, said: "There are rumours that the Haryana school education board will also conduct the assessment in CBSE board schools as well, but nothing is confirmed." In fact, a section of Haryana private schools affiliated to CBSE had moved court over this in January 2022.

RTE, states, boards, exams