SAI International Education Group, hosted the second chapter of SAI Thought Leadership, a series of discussion sessions with a focus on the development of the nation on Saturday April 10, 2021. Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)graced the occasion as the esteemed speaker along with Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder Mentor, SAI International Education Group.

The topic of discussion for the session hosted today was CBSE Board Examinations – Demystified” which focused on all the necessary roles of Students / Institutions and the board in conducting the upcoming CBSE board exams safely. Dr Bhardwaj highlighted all the measures taken by the CBSE board in conducting the upcoming board exams. Special emphasis has been given to students safety, thus the board has increased the no of examination centers from 5000 to 7000 in numbers and strict covid protocols will be maintained throughout the centers.

Speaking on the session Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, Central Board remarked, “First of all my request to everyone, everyone who is eligible for vaccination, please get vaccinated. That way when the examination does happen you can do the duties properly of taking and invigilating during exams. I would request the parents to keep an eye on the status of corona virus and the status of your child’s preparation. We will start taking the advice of the doctors into making a proper plan for conducting the examination smoothly. The students of this batch will perform much better I believe from the previous batch because they have gotten a lot of time for self-study. You must work hard and take responsibility into performing well. Your school, the chairman, principal and the entire nation is with you. We should be able to work and perform well for the future of the youth. I would request everybody that we are a very selfless organisation, and we are concerned about the betterment of the youth. When you are entering the examination centres kindly maintain all rules. My blessing is with all the students. We are in constant touch with the Government and other sister concerns and we are all making sure that everything is correlated in such a manner that exams are conducted smoothly.”

Highlighting the role of the students, parents and teachers, Dr Bhardwaj said, “First of all, we will not leave any stone unturned for the students. For students, focus on your studies, don’t listen to any rumor and false pretense. Concentrate on your studies only and be prepared. When you are coming to examination centre, check the details before coming and bring only the identified things and don’t get in touch with anyone else and carry sanitizers. My request to parents, since it is so difficult for you all, it’s a risk to send them to the examination, but kindly continue to support us. Ensure that your child follows all the given precautionary measures. Teachers, our most important stakeholders, we cannot do anything without your support, and it is known to me that they are working extremely hard. My sincere request to them is that do devote your time sincerely in evaluation process and help us declare the results as soon as possible.

Addressing the question on the pattern of the question paper in the exam Dr Bhardwaj said “We are actually very transparent from the exam point of view, and it comes from the curriculum hosted in the website. We have also uploaded the sample question paper. The design of the question paper will be same to the sample question paper only. Additionally, we have also introduced competency-based questions. If the students are cautious about the surroundings, they would be able to answer. We are of the opinion that we must change the methodology of the examinations in the coming years. This year we will be also providing an opportunity to improve their performance, through the improvement exams. There will be no additional mention in the mark sheet of the improvement exams.

If any candidate (special need children) coming for examination then they will be provided with a single room where two children can sit and they will also be given assistive devices and they can carry the same to the examination hall as well, said Dr. Bhardwaj.

He added saying that “I have a very good team of 25000 schools with me and when I have such a good team with me, no one will have stress on their face. The stress is to meet the guidelines. I am utilising the services of my schools who are always ready to support me”.

Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo humbly expressed his gratitude on behalf of 25000 schools in India and abroad and lakhs student to Dr. Bhardwaj on his clarity transparency of information and said nobody could have put forth CBSE views with such firmness, clarity and candidness. Such transparency is the key feature of CBSE and that’s why CBSE is the best examination Board of country.