Education for all:Francis Fanthome

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) chief executive and secretary, Francis Fanthome speaks to Education Times on the value of flexibility in the curriculum and the basis of the assessment process.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What kind of flexibility does the council offer in the curriculum framework?</span><br /><br />We are now more aware that the diversity of intelligences in children requires multiplicity of avenues and enabling provisions, to focus on their potentialities.It is the effort of the council to celebrate the intelligences of all children on a platform of plurality, as we understand that all children have different capabilities.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What should be the evaluation process?</span><br /><br />First, the credibility of assessors needs to be established and assessment should be carried out by teachers of various schools under the affiliated board. Both, at the ICSE and ISC level, the marking scheme for each subject is detailed and discussed openly with all examiners, so that their understanding and uniformity in assessment is maintained. The capabilities of all the examiners are calibrated in evaluating the answer booklets, in accordance with the marking scheme, over a three-day period, before assessments are started. Subsequently, there is a three-point check on the accuracy of evaluation by team leaders, the co-chief examiner and the chief examiner. Like every time, this year again, 99 per cent pupils are happy and satisfied with the council’s evaluation system.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What is your opinion on grading vis-a-vis the marking system?</span><br /><br />Grading is far better because it removes hightened sensitivity of personal position on a point to point scale. This is appropriate in keeping with that performances of pupil within a certain range of mark which have the same charateristisc of efficiencies. It clusters pupils according to effectiveness and efficiency, whereas marks differentiate in a very narrow range of effectiveness and efficiency. <br /><br />There were reports in some sections of newspapers that transparency was lacking in the marking system in one of the national boards. <br />Does it happen at CISCE?<br /><br />It is extremely disheartening that despite the patronage of all section of governmental agencies, there have been reports that answer scripts were being tampered with, at both PMT entrance exam and the Class X and Class XII board examinations of CBSE. The Ministry of Human Resource and Development must look into this matter, at the highest level and find a systematic solution. In the council, for both the ICSE and ISC examinations, all processing of assessments, including the results is done directly under the chief executive and secretary, who is responsible for its fairness. No reports of such malpractices have been received so far.</div> </div>