04 July,2016 07:26 PM IST | | Pallavi Smart
Instead of questions based on textbooks, exams will now have unseen passages to test how well students understand the language
In an effort to push students to develop a deeper understanding of languages, the state education board is changing the SSC question paper pattern to make it more application-oriented. But while the question pattern is changing, the textbooks remain the same - leaving teachers and students very confused.
Representation pic/Thinkstock
While the earlier format would include questions based on what students had learnt from their textbooks, the new pattern will have questions not based on the textbooks but on unseen passages. Std X students are now worried about their performance in language exams as they can no longer bank on textbooks or past question papers for practice. Even the teachers are unsure of how to help students prepare until they understand the nature of the new questions.
Teachers will be trained
Chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Gangadhar Mamhane said, "The change is not sudden. Last year it was implemented at Std IX so students and teachers had a year to familarise themselves with the new pattern. The change will need a change in the way teaching and learning happens at schools, and not in textbooks. The curriculum remains same." Mamahane added that training sessions are already underway to help teachers understand the new pattern.
