Bengaluru: As the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) faces widespread evaluation errors in its on-screen marking (OSM) system, class 11 students in Bengaluru are increasingly moving from CBSE schools to pre-university (PU) colleges. Some students are leaving without even waiting for a fee refund, highlighting a deepening trust deficit.
Trust Deficit and Academic Concerns
Students fear they may not receive fair scores in core subjects like physics, chemistry, and mathematics under the current CBSE evaluation system. For professional courses, authorities typically consider an equal average of Common Entrance Test (CET) and II PU or CBSE scores, making board performance crucial.
Rising Trend of Board Switching
Anecdotal evidence suggests a visible increase in the number of students switching boards after the start of the academic year. A senior secondary teacher at a CBSE school in Bengaluru reported that five students withdrew their class 11 admissions due to recent CBSE controversies. “Parents and students are worried. Admissions for class 11 began in November and lasted until March. Students were asked to pay a deposit of Rs 30,000. These five students opted out despite not receiving a refund,” she said.
Sandeep Pai S, chairman of Bangalore Sahodaya Schools, an association of Bengaluru schools offering CBSE curriculum, confirmed the trend. “A parent cited the CBSE controversy as the reason for pulling out her child. This is true of several schools. We have seen cases where students withdrew after the confusion began,” he stated.
Impact on School Admissions
Earlier, Times of India reported an increasing trend of CBSE and ICSE students shifting to the state's pre-university board after class 10. They now account for 12% of the total PU population in Karnataka. The latest CBSE row is an unlikely catalyst for this shift.
“Some CBSE schools also run PU colleges on their campus. For students on such campuses, the change is easier as management permits a shift. Some schools have kept fees the same for both PU and CBSE sections, but people still prefer PU. In Karnataka, parents want marks,” Pai added.
J Bhuvaneswari, principal of Presidency School (South), noted, “We had seven students with good class 10 results dropping out. We tried to convince them, but they went ahead to PU colleges.”
Another principal, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Admissions have dropped in classes 11 and 12. We had 117 students in class 10, but only 10% came to CBSE. We got 25 in that, of which three went to PU. The CBSE controversy is having a negative impact.”
A different principal added that the CBSE controversy, which emerged a few weeks ago, might affect next year's admissions even more.
Conclusion
The ongoing CBSE evaluation errors are driving students away from the board, with many opting for the state's PU system. This trend could have long-term implications for CBSE schools in Bengaluru, as trust in the board's assessment process continues to erode.
