Most of the students agree with me. Board exams are 100% neccessary with percentage. There will be no objective to exams otherwise.

However i will suggest changing the way we study instead.

Subjects like Social Science, History, Languages need not have text book answers.
Let answers be judged on creative writing and thinking.
Let more questions be objective based and be as personal solutions to questions.

Let the examiners too work for the money they get!

If Standard tenth and XII exams are removed we will be equivalent to American Students who are not Competitive as per American Standards itself.

Moreover Generations will loose more to vices since they will have no objective to meet.

Dear Mr. Sibal,
As an academic at the University of Pennsylvania who did my MBBS (Delhi University) and PhD (Harvard University) I belong to the first batch of students who took the 10+2 boards. I believe it is a mistake to scrap the 10/12 Board examinations. These exams give excellent practice and a heads-up to Indian graduates that allows them to compete at the global level.

Scrap not the exams but the meaningless exam pattern. Make exams a fun affair. Exam should not be a race it should be only an indicator in which direction one should go.

Education should help each individual to think correctly using basic values and principles - in whatever realm of activity one is learning.
Learning a whole lot of information by heart hardly leads to learning to think. In fact it is counter productive.
Current system puts undue pressure on children to learn all teh stuff by heart , leaving little time to digest what is taught, let alone the learn how to think.
for this the instructors and teachers should have the right sense of the important role they are playing in the lives of the individual and the society.

Dear Mr. Sibal,
The thought of reforms in education is a welcome sign & a sign of a ministry working. However, I feel your proposals about the changes to our primary education would result in degradation of the knowledge pool India has. Our primary education system is very good in teaching kids the right way of memorizing, reasoning & application. Please do not change the right combination which is really working well now. Removing the class X & XII board exams will remove the competitiveness students have. In Kannada, we have proverb “Kai kesaraadare Baai mosaru” meaning the one who works hard only will do well. Students can absorb a lot of stress at young ages. This also prepares them for the future. The major cause of stress in students is from the additional tuitions after the school which does not leave any time for other activities. Please curb the menace of private tuitions by improving the quality of teaching in the schools & colleges and also by improving the lives & salaries of teachers. Promote schemes to interest knowledgeable people to take up teaching as careers.
Please do bring in reforms to
1. Make quality education accessible to everyone. Bring in “RIGHT TO EDUCATION”
2. Curb malpractices in education like the huge sum of donation parents have to pay for admission.
3. Uniformity in entrance exams or a single All India entrance exam for higher education.
4. Removal of reservations based on caste for higher education.
5. Free education till the XII instead of reservations & make them competitive enough to gain an entry for higher education.
6. Common syllabus / university throughout India for all HIGHER EDUCATION.
7. Merit scholarships to motivate students.
8. Improve government schools to MATCH & SURPASS private schools.
I have seen education systems in different countries. The vast & knowledgeable syllabus covered by our system gives us an edge over the others in the world. I strongly believe that it is our education system which has given recognition to millions of Indian brains all over the world.

Sir,
I agree reforms are required in our education system. But banning exams for X and XII is not the first priority in my opinion. I agree with the concerns raised by some in this forum about possibility of loss of opportunity for deserving candidates due to their socio-economic background. I feel the priority is to abolish all state boards and have one unified education system for India, improve the education quality in rural areas and then think about sweeping reforms. I have to also say that you need to look at improving the pay structure of our teachers.

Dear Mr. Sibal,
Thank you so much for at least trying to stir the minds of this nation for a great cause like Education.

Here are some of the points that should be considered for education system in India.

1. There should be much more spending on Education, as a result there should be much more quality educational institutions. So large a country and so less good educational institutes.

2. The salary of primary and high school teachers should be increased so that good students should consider education system as a probable career alternative. Now because the salary of these teachers is so less that no good and practical student is interested to be teaching profession.


There should not be exams till class 7-8 at least. Too much of pressure on students and not necessarily if you scored good, you would remember the topics later.

When we have internet with almost all the information, why the students should mug up all the information? Make the subjects case study based, allow open book style exams, facilitate group based projects, prepare students for real live challenges, let there be industry-academia collaberations.

2. The interests or hobbies of students should be identified and they should be encouraged to pursue them. British education system can be taken as a reference.

We complain that we don't produce more R & D ideas, we don't produce enough inventions. But how can that happen when the students are constantly pressed against the wall to get above 90% to get into a good college or university or professional college?

2. Parents should be penalized if their students don't attend school above a minimum cut off percentage.

2. There should be only one board and one syllabus till 10+2 through out the nation. All the states can have their main language as a subject as extra optional, so that students are strong in local literature as well.

There should be uniform marking / grading system so that students compete for jobs (later in life) on a level playing basis.

I have been a very good student myself and presently doing very good professionally. I am not saying that there should be less importance on education. I am suggesting that we should have an educational system which makes good human being, which facilitates creation of scientists/literary persons/economists/artists/singers/lawers and all other professions of international standards.

When we say we believe UNITY in DIVERSITY, why can't we be united for a good cause. I am for a GOOD change in educational system and I am available for any help.

Best Regards,
Abinash Routray

I am a NRI staying currently in Cape town,and have visited few countries for work. one thing that i would like to tell Mr. Kapil Sibbal that although our education system needs a reforms but still the basics of our education systems shouldn't be changed as i can tell you from my experience that a person of same education from many countries in world cant compete with the one educated in India. This is just because base of our education system is so powerful. Thanks.

I as a mother totally agree with Mr. Kapil Sibal ,it is not only stressful for the child but also for the parents as well. Competition among the students is too much for them to handle resulting in extreme steps taken by them . I believe reforms should be done from the grassroot level so that school remains the best period of their life like it was in our case .

Sir, This is a good start for revamping our educational system and as a common man we are expecting more for the advancement of our educational system which helps the downtrodden of our society.