Present SSC format could make HSC tougher

SSC curriculum has made life easier for students, but they fear coping with the HSC format will be difficult

Present SSC format could make HSC tougher

SSC curriculum has made life easier for students, but they fear coping with the HSC format will be difficult

Gone are the days when securing 85 per cent would make you the class topper. Judging from the SSC results of the past two years, even students who secure 95 per cent are far from becoming toppers. According to the city's school principals, the good results are because of the introduction of oral exams, internal assessments and the best of five rule.

Seema Kansem, Supervisor of Sharda Vidya Mandir English School, Dadar, said, "When the system of oral and internal exams were introduced, very few students took it seriously and most parents were upset about this change in the system. However, now parents have realised that these exams help children score more marks.

Everyone is taking an interest in internal assessments due to which performances have improved."u00a0 The oral and internal exams have also reduced the burden of studies, she added.u00a0However, students and some principles feel that the easy SSC curriculum could make life tougher when the students prepare for HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) exams.

"Most schools are very generous when it comes to giving internal marks. This is one of the reasons why students of SSC have scored well this time. Also, the SSC curriculum has become easy and less competitive. At this rate students will face a lot of difficulty in HSC exams," Abha Dharampal, Principal of Utpal Sanghavi School, said.

Chaitanya Parab, student of Dominic Savio Vidyalaya in Ghatkopar, who scored 98.91 per cent agreed, "Orals, internal marks and best of five has helped students secure more than 90 per cent marks."u00a0 However, Priyanka Tibrewala, a student of Utpal Sanghvi School who secured 98.6 per cent in SSC exam disagrees, "The orals are as tough as theory. Even if academic burden has reduced the competition has increased."