New Delhi, June 25 2009: Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has come up with an innovative idea to reform school education system and is planning to scrap the Class 10 board examination.

Sibal not only wants to do away with Class 10 board examination but also set up an evaluation system based on percentiles.

According to Sibal the examination-based system is a source of trauma for both parents and students.

Sibal insists that the gaining knowledge should not be stressful and it is time to restructure the system.

"We need to de-traumatise it and reduce the burden on parents and children.

We could, for instance, think of abolishing the Class 10 board exam.

Why does a child need to appear for a board exam in Class 10 if he or she is continuing in the same school?" asked Sibal.

Sibal plans independent panel to rate schools "I think we should not let the students and their parents go through this immense trauma at a such young age.

I will be taking forward this proposal and will be discussing it with the state broads too.

We already have NCERT recommendations on it and this not new.

Many countries don't have exams but have a different form of assessment.

For Class 12, it is different.

We need to have exams because the students will be going into graduate colleges, but for Class 10, why should we have percentages when we can have percentile," he added.

The Union HRD Ministry will consult and take into confidence the state education boards before taking a final decision.

Sibal also said it this ministry will do its best to implement the Yash Pal Committee report within 100 days.

The Committee headed by Professor Yash Pal had been set up to advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education and has recommended the establishment of a National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER).

The NCHER will be an advisory body responsible for reforms in higher education, the committee had recommended.

UP to have grading system in Class 10 boards Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday said it would scrap the marks system in the class 10 board exams and introduce grading system in its place.

"The grading system for the class 10 board exams will come into effect from the 2010-11 academic session," Chief Minister Mayawati told reporters at a press conference in Lucknow.

She also announced that from now on, students who clear five of the total six subjects would also be declared to have passed in the exams.

These decisions are intended to improve the education system, the Chief Minister said.

According to officials, a total of 3,337,679 candidates registered for the UP board class 10 exams this year, out of which 3,122,679 candidates appeared in the exams.

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