Date:13/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/13/stories/2007121350050100.htm

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Class VII examination abolished

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The State Government has finally taken a decision to abolish the Class VII common examination with effect from this year’s exam due in March 2008 to avoid stress on students and allow a role for teachers in evaluation of the students’ performance.

Consequent to the decision, examinations will be held even for Class VII at school level on a par with Classes VIII and IX. The results of the Class VII examination will now be announced by the school itself.

Relief for students

The decision comes as a relief for students because they will not be detained if they fail in the Class VII examination hereafter. With this, they will have to sit only for one common examination throughout their school career—that is Class X (Secondary School Certificate).

The decision to scrap the Class VII exam followed discussions held by senior officials in the Secretariat with various groups on Wednesday, including teachers and MLCs, leading to a consensus that the common examination at this point of the school career was “unnecessary”.

A senior School Education Department official said later that a formal announcement giving effect to the decision would be made in two days. It would benefit over 14 lakh students all over the State, who otherwise would have to sit for the exam in March.

Move welcomed

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Joint Action Committee of Teachers’ Organisations (JACTO) hailed the Government’s decision and said that it was taken after all the constituents had unanimously pressed for it at a meeting with School Education Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha recently.