Several schools are planning to hold extra classes for students of Class XI as they have lost out on class time because of the board exams this year.
ICSE (Class X) will end on May 23 and CBSE Class X will end on May 24. Usually, the Class XI session starts in the first week of April.
Schools said they lost three to four weeks of teaching time and have kept the provision for extra classes to make up for the lag.
This year, both the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and the CBSE introduced two semesters — semester 1 exams were held in November-December 2021, with multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
Semester 2 exams started in April 2022.
According to teachers, the semester system reduced the teaching time because students were either writing a semester exam or a rehearsal exam.
“We cannot expect students to begin Class XI and then go back and study Class X syllabus before the exams,” said a teacher.
“We have to consider all boards — Madhyamik, ICSE and CBSE. Different departments have planned out their schedule keeping provision for extra classes. We will not wait for the end of the term to begin extra classes. It will be done right from the beginning. This apart, we must also consider that the students deserve a break after their exams,” said Koeli Dey, principal, Sushila Birla Girls School.
Loreto House, La Martiniere for Boys, Sri Sri Academy, Indus Valley World School are some of the other institutions who have planned extra classes.
“We will have extra practical classes for science subjects, home science and computer science,” said Aruna Gomes, principal of Loreto House.
Since students have lost class time before the summer vacation, the school has also decided to have only one set of internal assessment (unit test) instead of the usual two, the principal said.
Indus Valley World School has decided to curtail the summer break and start a week earlier for Class XI, to make up for some of the loss in teaching time.
“Teachers will have to plan out extra classes for Class XI while progressing with the syllabus,” said John Stephen, acting principal, La Martiniere for Boys.
Sri Sri Academy has planned in a way to give both teachers and students their time.
“We have lost about a month but we will plan in a way so that we do not disrupt the Puja or winter break of students,” said Suvina Shunglu, principal, Sri Sri Academy.