Several schools in the city are planning practical classes before the semester 1 exam is over after the ICSE council’s announcement that the marks of practical exams have to be submitted by January 31 instead of a month later.
At least five schools in the city are drawing up a schedule where ISC (Class XII) science students will be called for practicals when their exams are over instead of after all the ISC exams.
Students have to be given enough hands-on practice and know how to use the equipment before they are called for exams, said teachers.
Each student will have six to eight hours of class in every subject before the final practicals, said several school principals.
Besides science subjects, practicals will also be held in computer and home science.
Modern High School for Girls, Loreto House, St James’ School, Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Salt Lake, MP Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School will start practical classes.
The ISC exam will be over on December 20 and ICSE (Class X) on December 16.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has asked school principals to ensure that all project work and practical files for ICSE and ISC candidates are submitted at the earliest and that marks for all subjects are submitted by January 31 and not February 28.
“As soon as the exam ends for individual students, they will be called for practice classes. They need some amount of practical classes on how to do experiments before appearing for a board exam. This batch has not had any practical classes in Class XI,” said Damayanti Mukherjee, the principal of Modern High School for Girls.
The next round will follow in January after the school reopens, said Mukherjee.
There is a tendency among students to take a short break after a board exam and plan a trip.
Schools are discouraging students from doing so.
“We have sent a message to students to not leave the city after the exam because they will be called for practical classes,” said Sister Sherly Sebastian, the principal of Our Lady Queen of the Missions School Salt Lake.
Loreto House is planning to call ICSE students for home science practicals.
Schools like Julien Day School Ganganagar have planned a few classes in the last week of December and then again in the beginning of January.
At La Martiniere for Boys, practical classes will be conducted for two weeks in January. “We will divide the students in the laboratories and it will be done on rotation,” said John Stephen, acting principal, La Martiniere for Boys.
