ICSE board is in no mood to introduce absolute grading

Updated on: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Kolkata: Unlike the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board is in no mood to introduce absolute grading for Class X examinations. The ICSE council also refuses to make Class X exams optional, says its chairman, Neil O’Brien.

In August, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal had declared his intentions of making Class X exams optional. He also said that those who wanted to write the exams would be awarded grades instead of marks. Following that directive, the CBSE has already made Class X exams optional and said it would be awarding grades. But O’Brien disagrees.

“Doing away with marks and awarding only grades won’t be useful,” he said. “If we award just grades, would colleges and universities accept the grades while admitting students?” His logic: “College and university authorities would look for marks to draw up a merit list. Unless higher education institutions decide to admit students based only on grades and all other school education boards decide on grading, there’s no point in introducing them.”

The ICSE council currently awards grades along with marks. About 1,600 schools are affiliated to the ICSE and more than 9,000 to the CBSE. Principals of ICSE schools in the NCR agreed with O’Brien. “There’s no point in giving grades in Class X and then making marks the basis for college admission,” said Anuradha Chopra, principal of Pragyan School, Greater Noida.

Komal Sood, principal of the Shri Ram School, Moulsari Avenue, Gurgaon, said, “I totally support the ICSE chairman’s views. If change has to be brought, it should happen at all levels. Class XII students should also be graded, and colleges should accept grades while admitting students.”

ICSE board is in no mood to introduce absolute grading

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