Editorial : Testing exam: restoring trust in the CBSE exam process

The Central Board of Secondary Education faces a serious erosion of credibility with the leak of its annual examination question papers on Economics for Class 12 and Mathematics for Class 10. Thousands of students are naturally frustrated(निराश/विफल किया गया) that their best shot at these papers has come to nought; they must now make another strenuous(ज़ोरदार/अति उत्साही) effort in a re-examination. Clearly, the Ministry of Human Resource Development failed to assign(नियुक्त करना/सौंपना) top priority(प्राथमिकता/उत्कृष्टता) to secrecy and integrity(सत्यनिष्ठा/प्रामाणिकता) of the process, considering that its standard operating procedure was easily breached(का उल्लंघन,), and the questions were circulated(प्रसारित होना) on instant messaging platforms. Yet, the problem is not new. State board question papers have been leaked in the past. When the HRD Ministry was asked in the Lok Sabha three years ago what it intended(इरादा/प्रयोजन रखने का) to do to secure the CBSE Class 12 and 10 examinations, Smriti Irani, who was the Minister then, asserted(दावा करना/द्दढ़तापूर्वक

करना)the inviolability(अनुल्लंघनीयता/पवित्रता) of the process, since the question papers were sealed and stored in secret places and released to authorised officials with a window of only a few hours. In addition, the board has dedicated secrecy officers for each region. But the protocol has failed, and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar should conduct a thorough inquiry to get at the truth and initiate(आरंभ करना/पहल करना) remedial steps without delay. One of the options is to institute a National Testing Agency, although it was originally supposed to take charge of entrance examinations in the first phase. State school boards also need help to reform systems.

A major leak such as the one that has hit the CBSE raises a question often debated in academic circles: is a high-stakes test the best option? To some sociologists, the use of a quantitative indicator(सूचक/निर्देशक) with rising importance for social decision-making makes it more vulnerable(आलोचनीय/चपेट में) to corruption pressures, and distorts(तोड़ना-मरोड़ना/विकृत करना)and undermines the very processes it is intended to monitor. That seems to be an apt description of what has taken place. Today, what is needed is a credible testing method to assess a student’s aptitude and learning. But the answer may lie not in one all-important examination, but in multiple assessments that achieve the same goal. Such an approach will end the scramble(संघर्ष/अव्यवस्थित कार्यवाही) for high scores in a definitive board examination, and the exam stress that the government has been trying to alleviate(हलका कर देना/कम करना). It will also limit the fallout of a leak. These and other options need to be debated by academic experts. More immediately, the CBSE has to restore faith in its processes. The board went into denial mode when the leaks were first reported, but subsequently(तत्पश्चात्/बाद में) decided to acknowledge the problem and ordered a fresh examination in the two subjects. In the current scheme, the annual exercise is all-important to students. Everything should be done to inspire total confidence in the board examinations.

Important Vocabulary

1.Frustrated(निराश/विफल किया गया)
Synonyms: balked, crabbed, cramped, crimped, defeated
Antonyms: encourage, fulfilled, inspirited, stimulated, uplifted

2.Strenuous(ज़ोरदार/अति उत्साही)
Synonyms: arduous, demanding, exhausting, laborious, taxing
Antonyms: easy, facile, trivial, apathetic, effortless

3.Integrity(सत्यनिष्ठा/प्रामाणिकता
Synonyms: honesty, principle, probity, purity, rectitude
Antonyms: deceit, dishonesty, corruption, disgrace, dishonor

4.Asserted(दावा करना
Synonyms: affirm, allege, argue, cite, claim
Antonyms: abandon, conceal, deny, desert, hide

5.Scramble(संघर्ष/अव्यवस्थित कार्यवाही
Synonyms: free-for-all, melee, rush, struggle, tussle
Antonyms: peace, order, organization

6.Alleviate(हलका कर देना
Synonyms: allay, assuage, ease, mitigate, lighten
Antonyms: increase, intensify, irritate, worsen, agitate

7.Distorts(तोड़ना-मरोड़ना
Synonyms: alter, belie, deceive, disfigure, mangle
Antonyms: be honest, preserve, straighten, ascend, build