The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has urged principals of schools affiliated to the board to start contemplating the pattern for allocating credits to students for subjects, in line with National Credit Framework.
CBSE has proposed draft guidelines open for feedback from its affiliated schools, The Hindu has learnt
Sample framework
The board is set to notify a new set of credit framework for schools next year from Class nine to twelve, and in anticipation of the notification has asked its schools to start implementing a sample credit framework at least for Class Nine and Class Eleven.
As per the existing regulations, a student has to pass in 5 subjects (two languages and three main subjects - maths, science and social science) to pass. “Nearly 1050 hours are allotted to five compulsory subjects. In order to aid teachers implement the credit framework, we have allotted an additional 150 hours for internal assessment of subjects like Physical Education and Health, Art Education, a skill-related subject, and a third language,” a senior CBSE official said.
Currently, a Class nine student passing with five compulsory subjects and completing internal assessment of remaining mentioned subjects will earn at least 40 credits. “In case the student opts for a sixth or seventh subject, and passes the five compulsory subjects, extra credits totalling up to 54 can be earned,” the official added.
Ten subjects
The CBSE proposal says while this is applicable for 2023-24 academic session, come 2024-2025, when the new curriculum according to the National Curriculum Framework kicks in, students in Class nine and ten will have to study ten subjects compulsorily. Additional subjects include a compulsory inclusion of a third language, one subject in interdisciplinary area, physical education and health, art education and a skill-related subject. Of the three languages, two will have to be native to India.
“Under new NCF, thrust is compulsory on Physical Education and Art Education, every child will learn three languages,” the official said.
All credits collected by students will be stored in their academic bank of credit in the students’ digilockers. The Ministry of Education is also working on systems to reconcile credits incase the student goes abroad. The idea of introducing credits right from school-level is to also to reconcile it with higher education systems (consisting of under graduation, post graduation, and diplomas) for assessment and equivalence purposes.
Academic locker
“We are urging schools to internally start implementing the credit system according to the guidelines we are issuing so that they are better prepared to implement it officially after it is notified next year,” the official further said.
The credits can be earmarked for project work, peer-learning, self-study, field trips, activities and shall be reflected in the marks statement along with pre-defined grades, CBSE has said.
The CBSE also said that credits can only be earned in full or nil. Student can earn full credits upon passing a subject after assessment or will receive nil credit for not passing a subject.
Similarly, the allocation of credits for different subjects in class 11 will vary across currently five compulsory subjects, which will be converted into six compulsory subjects when the new NCF kicks in.
The CBSE has urged teachers to implement this for Class nine and eleven so they can hone their internal assessment skills. Eventually it will be rolled out for Class ten and twelve too, as new curriculum gets released and officially notified.
