Thiruvananthapuram: Most higher secondary schools in Kerala will use common question papers for the the first terminal examinations scheduled to begin on August 16.
The General Education Department had earlier ordered that the question papers for the Onam examinations should be prepared by the schools themselves and that those prepared by the association of teachers or private agencies should not be used.
Most of the higher secondary schools in the State have however declined to comply with the directive. Many schools find it difficult to comply with this order owing to lack of adequate time to set question papers.
-sq.jpg.transform/170x160/image.jpg "PARAKH to unify the central and state board school exams")
Common question papers prepared by a fraternity of Principles have been sent by email to those schools that have requested them. The schools were also advised to use the papers by taking out printed copies after entering the name of the institution on top of the question papers.
Old practice
Until last year, the question papers for Onam and Christmas examinations were prepared and printed by the General Education Department and supplied to schools. However, this year, this has been restricted to classes till 10.
Meanwhile, question papers for the higher-secondary level used to be prepared by the academic groups of teachers’ organisations. However, this year, the General Education Department issued a warning that action would be taken against Principals if question papers that were prepared by private agencies or teachers’ bodies were used.
The Department also directed that schools should prepare the question papers based on the question bank of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
(The first terminal examinations are popularly known as the Onam examinations in Kerala)