Twenty-one pupils’ scores from the just-concluded annual 2023 test were changed and corrected by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) in Srinagar.
The action has brought to light the JKBOSE’s defective assessment system, which has caused emotional pain for many students in the 12th grade.
After it was discovered that evaluators had drastically overestimated the marks of a sizable number of students, the board was compelled to revise the results of those individuals.
A staggering 21 out of 23 students who had obtained photocopies of their answer scripts after receiving unfavourable results were exonerated when the amended results showed a glaring disparity between the original scores and the true assessment of their answers, as stated in the official figures provided in the JKBOSE notification.
The faulty assessment has far-reaching effects.
Several students had to fight an uphill struggle to get into college after being labelled “reappear” because of lower grades or receiving marks far lower than their real performance.
These pupils were already on the verge of mental breakdown since all of their efforts had seemingly been for nothing due to the faulty assessment.
One of the most surprising examples is a student who was originally labelled a “reappear” in a certain course.
On the other hand, a closer look at the photocopy of the response script revealed that the student had, in fact, earned a first-class passing grade.
Another candidate’s score also shot up from the lower division to the upper one, demonstrating how drastically the judges had erred.
One male applicant was mistakenly labelled as “reappear” in one subject on the day of the Class 12 result announcement.
The candidate’s amended result showed a dramatic improvement, with an A+ performance.
“Such mistakes committed by the evaluators not only shatter the aspirations of the meritorious students, but also cast a shadow on the competency of the entire evaluation process overseen by the BOSE,” a school professor said, declining to provide his name.
He said the episode demonstrated the board’s appointed assessors’ indifference to the young people’s futures and their cruel attitude towards them.
Around 1,27,636 pupils from around J&K took part in the class 12 examinations, and the JKBOSE announced the results on June 9 with a pass rate of 65%, meaning that 82,441 students were certified.
Although 379 students were first labelled as “failed” by the J&K BOSE, the board subsequently changed the findings.
Prof. Aijaz Ahmad Hakak, Joint Secrecy Secretary at JKBOSE, admitted that the assessors had made several errors.
According to him, assessors who make such errors face consequences.
‘If we discover there was any difference in the outcome, we penalised these evaluators,’ he added.
Prof. Hakak clarified that the JKBOSE standards do permit the use of retired professors and lecturers as assessors up to a particular age group after retirement.
Generally speaking, active educators decline assessment, but retirees are constantly on hand. However, we brought this to the attention of the Director of School Education, who has included test duties and assessment into the curriculum.
