Lok Sabha Question No. 3076 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-06
Subject: Different State Boards
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: OM BIRLA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3076 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 th  August, 2018

## Different State Boards

## 3076. SHRI OM BIRLA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  there  has  been  inflation  of  marks  by different State Boards as a result of which the institutions are facing problems in conducting various admission processes for Universities and colleges;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  measures  which  the  Government  has taken to reduce such problems;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  initiated  any  mechanism  or  directed  the  State boards to come up with a uniform pattern of courses, exams and assessment for better  assessment  of  students  from  all  over  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details thereof.
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to establish separate authority for assessing the marks and bringing them in uniformity with national boards like CBSE and If so, the details thereof; and
- (f) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a)  to  (f)  :  A  meeting  to  review  the  Policy  of  Moderation  of  marks  to  avoid  spiking  of marks was convened by the Secretary (School Education and Literacy), in Ministry of Human Resource Development, on 24 th April,  2017  with  State  Education  Secretaries and Chairpersons of State Education Boards, including the Central Board of Secondary Education  (CBSE).  In  the  meeting,  all  State  Boards  also  decided  to  constitute  Inter Board  Working  Group  (IBWG)  comprising  of  Chairpersons  of  the  State  Boards  of

Secondary Education of Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Telengana, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) with Chairman, CBSE  as  the  Convener  of  the  IBWG.As  per  the  meeting,  the  following  decisions  in regard  to  moderation  of  marks  for  upward  revision/spiking  of  marks  were  taken unanimously:

- (i) All  State  Boards  decided  to  stop  awarding  moderation  of  marks  for  upward revision/spiking  of  marks  from  the  current  year  except  Kerala  Board  and subject  to  amendment  in  the  State  regulations,  if  required.  However,  Kerala Board conveyed to  do away with moderation from the next year.
- (ii) All  State  Boards  decided  to  continue  with  the  policy  of  Grace  Marks  for  lower level  performance  to  improve  the  pass  percentage  but  the  policy  should  be placed on Board's web-site for transparency.  It was also decided to show  grace marks distinctly in the Marks Sheet.

Subsequently,  two  meetings  of  the  Inter-Board  Working  Group  were  held  to deliberate upon the issue. In the light of the outcomes of these high level meetings it was  decided  to  recommend  implementation  of  the  following  by  all  School  Education Boards:

-  Practice of awarding moderation marks should be done away with, except in the cases of ambiguity in the question paper, inter-set variation in difficulty level (if multiple sets system exists in the Board) and vagaries in the evaluation process based  on  statistical  analysis.  Bunching  of  marks  and  their  spiking  should  be completely avoided.
-  The practice  of  awarding  grace  marks  should  continue  to  pass  the  border  line cases. The policy of grace marks should also be disclosed by all Boards on their websites.
-  The weightage of extra-curricular activities should be same across all the Boards. Boards  should show  performance  of  students in extra-curricular activities separately on the marks statement rather than adding them into their scholastic performance.
-  The moderation policy and quantum of moderation given, if any, should also be disclosed by all Boards on their websites on a year-to-year basis.

All the Educations Boards have been requested for implementation of the above decision in a transparent manner. The implementation of the above decision would help in  bringing  uniformity  in  evaluation  process,  parity  of  results  and  improve  quality  of Education with emphasis on learning outcomes.

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