Nagaland: School final exams from December 2

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 23 (EMN): Nagaland School Education department on Monday issued fresh directives concerning the students’ final assessment and board examinations from Class 1 to 9.

“In consideration of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the state and in the interests of schools and students’ community, the following directives are hereby issued for strict compliance by all schools (both government and private) registered/recognised under the department of School Education, Nagaland,” stated a notification.

The end-term assessment for Classes 1 to 7 and the board examinations for 8 and 9 are scheduled to be conducted from December 2 to the 22nd.

The assessment for Class 1 to 7 is to be conducted through online/offline mode (distribution of question papers collection of answer scripts) in batches strictly observing the SOPs (wearing facemasks, hand wash, maintaining social distancing etc). No student of these classes will be compelled to come to the school for appearing the assessment, it stated. 

Students of these classes should come to the school for collection of question papers/submission of answer scripts only with written parental consent, it added. 

The department has directed schools to make necessary arrangements for students who do not have access to smartphones, to assess the students by either sending photocopy of the question papers/assignments to them or collecting the answer scripts, and other option, which the school considers appropriate strictly observing safety protocols.

It also asked the schools to make all possible efforts to reach out to their students and assess them in the best possible fair manner. As for the marks of the assessment, it will be recorded in the PCR book of the students of all classes.

As for government schools, they should submit results of Classes 1 to 7 to respective DEOS/SDEOS and DOSE on or before January 22, 2021 in the format which will be issued by the department.

Private schools have been directed to follow the guidelines issued by the NBSE for Class 8 exam. It added that details for conducting Class 9 board examination will be notified.

Admissions for 2021 academic session will commence in January 2021 after the submission of results.

Further, the department directed that all schools should make provision for retest and remedial measures for Class 5, as per the RTE Act. Schools in the state will not resume the conduct of regular classes till the state government notifies it, it added.

Schools will not fix routine — NBSE 

The Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE), in a separate notification, informed that Class VIII and IX final examinations/assessment will be conducted by the schools through online/offline mode from December 2 to 22.

It informed that the final assessment/examination will be conducted with questions given by the Board. Schools will not fix a routine for assessing the performance of the students for the final examination of Class 8 and 9.

Examinations for Class 8 and Class 9 should be conducted in the same mode or pattern in which the midterm/2nd term examination was conducted this year. Schools shall not conduct examination in one go but in batches through online or offline mode.

It directed the schools to make all efforts to reach out to their students and take all possible measures to assess the students.

The NBSE will two sets of question papers of all the subjects and the schools will take out the questions and use it to assess the students, it informed. 

As for the technicalities of the examination, including selecting the test items/questions/marks/days of examination and duration of assessment/examination, it has been left to the discretion of the schools.

It informed that password protected PDF files of the Class 8 (government schools) and Class 9 question papers will be uploaded in the schools domain of nbsenl.edu.in portal.

The schools have been asked to register and log in to the portal to download the question papers. Once registered, the password can be obtained from the controller of examinations and deputy controller of examinations.

As for Class 8, private schools should prepare their own questions/test items based on the design of the question papers as given in assessment guidelines for Class 8 in 2019/instructions issued by the Board for assessing the students.

No student should be made to come to the school to appear the examination. In case, students are to come to school for collection of question paper/assignments and submission of the same, it should be done with the written consent of the parent and by observing the SOPS, it informed. 

During the conduct of the final examinations, schools need to tell the students that they should send their answers honestly whether through online or offline mode, it added. 

The results are to be submitted within January 22, 2021, to the following mail IDs separately: Class 8 to nbseclass8agmail.com and Class 9 to nbseclass9email.com.

Schools who have finished the examinations and are ready with the results can also submit it to the Board at the respective mail ID, it added. 

All schools have been directed to send the question papers/test items, which it had prepared and administered for the different subjects, to the Board within January 22, 2021. For this year, sample answer scripts need not be sent, it informed.

The NBSE also stated that the schools can declare the results of the examination if they are satisfied that the results have been prepared as per criteria, without getting the approval of the Board. But, the relaxation is for this year only, it added.

However, schools will be held responsible for any mistakes committed in the results submitted by them. Submission of additional results and corrections of results will not be entertained by the Board, it stated.