A year after the Tamil Nadu government proposed to issue consolidated marksheets with marks obtained in Class 11 and Class 12, it has now decided to reverse the proposal.
The decision to scrap the consolidated marksheet system was announced by the Minister for School Education KA Sengottaiyan on Saturday. He said that this decision was taken after many students made representations to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell. He also said that the decision was taken keeping in mind the mental stress and agony that the students will go through by having to write Board Exams three years in a row. Also, having a consolidated marksheet with Class 11 Board Exam marks might bring down the total marks after Class 12, he said.
He also announced that the total marks for Class 11 and Class 12 students will be reduced to 600 henceforth. Currently, the total marks for the two classes are 1200 each.
According to reports, a Government Order in relation to this also stated that the student will be issued a marksheet for 600 marks after each year in the Higher Secondary level only if the student clears all the subjects in that year. If a student failed in one or more subjects, a mark statement, mentioning the scores secured by them in the other subjects, would be issued, the Order said.
It was in 2017 that the School Education Department decided to introduce Board Exams for Class 11 students. This move was introduced to ensure that schools do not skip teaching Class 11 portions to the students as was the practice in most private schools in the state. It was also said that at the end of Class 12, a consolidated marksheet will be given to the students which will factor in their Class 11 marks as well.
The introduction of Board Exams for Class 11 from 2017 received backlash from a large section of the students since that would mean that they have to prepare rigorously for exams for three years continuously. Up until 2017, students in Tamil Nadu appeared for Board Exams in Class 10 and Class 12.