Confusion Over The Board Classes

14 April,2023 | By brainwonders

In these uncertain times, when the pandemic has hit hard on every sector, the central government has declared to postpone the CBSE exams keeping in mind the surge of the COVID-19 cases in the country. This decision has created a sense of worry amongst the students and a feeling of a mixed response from the parents and school. While some parents feel that the decision is made to help children stay out of danger, whereas others demand some form of assessment, if not board based then school-based. Parents, on one hand, are much tense and worried about how to manage the situation where there is uncertainty about their child’s future. The situation has turned critical and students and parents are looking forward to the guidance of psychologists and counsellors for future support. Experts feel that students do require some sort of assessment before getting admitted into the next grade.

It is considered that board exams are the pathway to a brighter future for many students in the country every year. It is an important measure to determine the life course the child will be taking. But the process of taking the exams has become a matter of concern in the current situation. These young minds have been surrounded by a variety of problems concerning their academics as well as personal growth. They are facing a level of frustration as no clear verdict is being given out for the exam conduction or results. Many students who have applied to foreign universities for their further studies with conditional admissions are totally relying on their board results for the confirmation process. This is also elevating their level of stress as well as impacting their mental health. It is expected to feel tensed and disturbed during these unprecedented times.

While considering the future streams many people start planning their future endeavours as early as their class 10th. This is the point where choices come in to pick a specific direction in terms of the stream. Many students each year are dependent on their board exams to choose their future streams or careers. And since the examinations have either been postponed or cancelled, youngsters are finding it difficult to make such tough decision that directly impacts their career choices. This builds a lot of pressure on them and hence a need for professional help arises for their brighter future.

While in the pre-covid days continuous assessments were going on throughout the year, hence children focused majorly upon the subjects that they were found lacking in. They were well aware of their subject strengths as well as the areas of improvement. But due to the online system of assessment, the continuity somehow broke and their approach towards academics became much more lenient due to a limited level of supervision from their teachers. The major reason behind this is the lack of one-on-one interaction with teachers and classmates which has led to a low level of participation in online classes and has resulted in certain limitations in the process of e-learning.

To prepare for board exams, students and teachers figure out an action plan for implementation purposes in the curriculum and assessment of the child. A variety of strategies are drawn to improvise a child’s learning patterns. Hence the performance of the student doesn’t only depend on the difficulty level of the exam but also on the challenges faced during the entire academic year. During this crucial age of learning students rely on the guidance of their educators throughout the year to help them streamline their area of focus which was something they were deprived of due to the
online mode of connecting.

It is no denying that the times we are in are very different, away from the normal. These unfamiliar circumstances have evoked all sorts of anxiety, especially amongst the youngsters. Naturally, it is hard to stay focused on academics given the situation and with online school, a major focus has been lost. There are many factors to this such as the network stability for the online classes, this means that the knowledge shared by the school was somehow not received by the students which developed a learning gap. The school provides a basic structure and environment for efficient learning which is not possible at home. Hence, they currently struggle with a sense of low motivation level and low self-discipline in this academic year.

Adolescents have a natural tendency to stay connected to their friends as it provides the students with a favourable environment for social interactions. This also helps them in aiding their developmental skills. Due to lockdown, a child’s daily routine has been hampered tremendously as they are unable to freely move out and meet their friends. Their physical health has also become a matter of concern as there is a lack of physical activity such as sports or yoga that was previously part of their daily schooling schedule. Another major aspect of schools being closed is that students are not able to perform lab work or experiments which may build the learning gap that will have to be bridged in their higher studies.

Parents are greatly concerned about the impact of online classes on students, but with the right support, they can easily overcome the challenges of the online learning process. Getting some professional guidance from psychologists or counsellors is of great help as it enables the child to understand their abilities, strengths and interests. After the take on professional help, they can help the child in the process of self-awareness, where the learners understand the situation in a better sense and figure out their next step. Children must also expose themselves to new subjects so as to understand their comfort level with each one of them. They must also be actively involved in researching for their future long-term goals.