Board marks may count 50% in college admissions

A nine-member panel put together by the Union Ministry of Education is considering recommending better alignment between board examination syllabi and entrance tests. The committee, set up last year to examine students’ dependence on coaching, the spread of dummy schools and fairness in high-stakes entrance tests, is likely to be submit its suggestions to the Government in the coming weeks.

“The changes being contemplated are 50 per cent weightage for board marks in admission, merit, closer alignment of entrance tests with school syllabi to reduce dependence on coaching centres, multiple attempts and a gradual shift towards adaptive on-demand computer-based tests,” a source said. The move comes after a series of anomalies in the examination system, including evaluation errors and paper leaks, have kick-started a debate on the credibility of the system.

At present, medical and engineering admissions are based on entrance test scores and candidates are required to score a qualifying percentage in board exams to be eligible for the entrance exams.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has often launch surprise crackdowns on dummy school enrolments. Each school is inspected by a team made up of a CBSE officer and a principal from another CBSE-affiliated school.

“Dummy admissions are a growing trend. Many students preparing for engineering or medical exams skip regular school to focus on coaching classes. They enrol in schools just to appear for board exams, without actually attending. There’s another angle too. Students take dummy admissions in other States to gain access to State quotas for college admissions. For example, finishing Class 12 from Delhi makes students eligible for the Delhi quota in medical and engineering colleges, giving dummy enrolments an extra edge,” explained a senior education ministry official.