By Aditya Wadhawan
The CBSE has for the fourth consecutive year did not declare the merit list for class X and XII board results. The decision to announce the merit list was takenin 2020 by the CBSE, during Covid-induced lockdowns when the results were being announced using the average of marks secured by students in the exams. By not announcing the merit list, CBSE also intends to prevent the spread of unhealthy competition among the students. Apart from this, the board did not even award the first, second, and third divisions to the students.
Speaking to Education Times, Sanyam Bhardwaj, controller of examinations, CBSE, says, “We do not declare the merit list for the toppers of class X and XII board exams. It is usually the affiliated schools that inform the performance or position of their students through a merit list. Prior to 1990, a practice was followed wherein the top 10 students used to get admitted to IITs based on their performance in class XII, and due to this, every board used to declare its merit list of the top 10 toppers. However, post 1990, this practice ended and competitive exams began to be held.”
“To end the unhealthy spirit of competitiveness among students, UP board became the first board to declare that it would not announce the results on a merit list basis. Also, the merit list can only be declared when the students have the same combination of subjects. However, there are varied subject combinations as per the CBSE scheme of studies. Hence, it is not justified to place the students on the merit list. For instance, a student can choose Kathak with Physics and Biology with Business Studies. Therefore, there is no comparison of these subject combinations,” informs Bhardwaj.
“However, we award merit certificates to 0.1% top scoring students in each subject,” adds Bhardwaj.
MS Rawat, president, Federation of Public Schools in Delhi, says, “By the non-declaration of merit list for class X and XII toppers, the morale and enthusiasm of students get lower. However, the nervous energy of students, teachers, and parents that was witnessed previously, when the merit list was declared, would no longer be visible now. Moreover, this year’s batch of students who appeared in class XII exams, was the Covid batch and the declaration of the merit list by CBSE would have been a big boost to their morale.”
The CBSE has for the fourth consecutive year did not declare the merit list for class X and XII board results. The decision to announce the merit list was takenin 2020 by the CBSE, during Covid-induced lockdowns when the results were being announced using the average of marks secured by students in the exams. By not announcing the merit list, CBSE also intends to prevent the spread of unhealthy competition among the students. Apart from this, the board did not even award the first, second, and third divisions to the students.
Speaking to Education Times, Sanyam Bhardwaj, controller of examinations, CBSE, says, “We do not declare the merit list for the toppers of class X and XII board exams. It is usually the affiliated schools that inform the performance or position of their students through a merit list. Prior to 1990, a practice was followed wherein the top 10 students used to get admitted to IITs based on their performance in class XII, and due to this, every board used to declare its merit list of the top 10 toppers. However, post 1990, this practice ended and competitive exams began to be held.”
“To end the unhealthy spirit of competitiveness among students, UP board became the first board to declare that it would not announce the results on a merit list basis. Also, the merit list can only be declared when the students have the same combination of subjects. However, there are varied subject combinations as per the CBSE scheme of studies. Hence, it is not justified to place the students on the merit list. For instance, a student can choose Kathak with Physics and Biology with Business Studies. Therefore, there is no comparison of these subject combinations,” informs Bhardwaj.
“However, we award merit certificates to 0.1% top scoring students in each subject,” adds Bhardwaj.
MS Rawat, president, Federation of Public Schools in Delhi, says, “By the non-declaration of merit list for class X and XII toppers, the morale and enthusiasm of students get lower. However, the nervous energy of students, teachers, and parents that was witnessed previously, when the merit list was declared, would no longer be visible now. Moreover, this year’s batch of students who appeared in class XII exams, was the Covid batch and the declaration of the merit list by CBSE would have been a big boost to their morale.”
