School body expresses concern over marking criteria
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 09 2021: Hill District Private Schools' Association Manipur (HiDiPSAM) has raised concerns over the criteria for allotment of marks to students in the event of cancellation of Class X and Class XII examinations 2021 due to prevailing Covid-19 situation in the state.

In a press release, HiDiPSAM president Richard L Haokip and general secretary Ashuli Kashipri noted that the state government is considering cancellation of class X and XII examinations 2021 due to Covid-19 and observed that such a step must have been influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June 1 announcement for cancellation of CBSE exams.

HiDiPSAM said the state government is right in doing so in the interest of the student community and their parents, but some concerns regarding mark allotment remain.

It is still unclear what criteria will be used for allotment of marks, which has caused a great deal of consternation to some students who have been planning to get into good institutions within and outside the state.

The government is, as yet, unable to assuage the aggrieved students, it maintained.

"In our opinion, which most patents agree with, it will be a gross injustice to some students to distribute marks on the basis of some algorithms, however scientific, because most learning and assessments are done out of sight of technology and bureaucracy", it said, adding that in a typical classroom situation, students are assessed on different parameters and their teachers are the best judge of who is worth how much marks.

Moreover, schools play an important role in creating a perfect learning environment to give wings to the students, it pointed out.

HiDiPSAM stated that schools have been shut for some time now due to the pandemic.

However, some students have been slogging sincerely for good marks.

For them, only good marks can open a brighter, better future and they think they deserve every bit of efforts they put in to earn it.

"And we tend to agree with them.

We have been hand-holding them, walking and guiding them to work hard for a bright future.

Denying them this sense of perceived self-worth will be akin to denying them their future.

We are aware that this manner of assessment is reductionist, but until we have an alternative, we believe we will have to agree to work with what we have.

And we, for one, believe that we have a huge stake in our students' future.

So allow us please to contribute in what we know and do best at, which is giving unbiased and objective marks to students.

Let the allotment of mark be our prerogative," the statement stressed.

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