Himachal assembly wants elementary level board exams

Shimla, April 1 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh assembly Monday  unanimously passed a resolution on school education that the state should be allowed to conduct board exams of elementary classes till a comprehensive policy comes into force.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said with the implementation of a comprehensive and continuous evaluation system, there was decline in the education standards.

"Survey report by various agencies indicated that the learning levels of Class 5 students have been lowered. The students have not been taking studies seriously. Even teachers are not taking interest in the absence of an examination system," he said.
"This house strongly recommends and requests the government of India to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 by inserting following sub-section below Section 30 of the act," said the chief minister, who also holds an education portfolio.
"The state government shall provide for conduct of examinations for classes 5 and 8 till the comprehensive and continuous evaluation is implemented strictly in accordance with the provisions of the act, and to ensure that there is no board examination till completion of elementary education," he added.
Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal, supporting the resolution, said such system of evaluation had totally failed in America.
"Unfortunately, we have adopted it. Even we had opposed the scrapping of examinations up to elementary level. We had also taken up the issue with the central government," he added.
--Indo-Asian News Service