In a welcome step, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education in a proposal has sought opinions from the general public and all other concerned stakeholders in implementing two-tier examination of mathematics for the 10th class wherein the board has opined of easing the education to those who do not wish to carry with the subject at higher level.
The proposal of BOSE offers a choice for the students to opt of basic or standard level paper in the exams. This will be a reliever for the students who wish not to study or were in weak in math subject.
This initiative of the JKBOSE not only eases the burden of the students but also ensure the retention of those who were quitting the studies midway because of their weak hand on the subject.
The pressure of a single high-stakes paper has caused great anxiety for many young people who do not plan on continuing studying mathematics.
By eliminating the stress of studying for the high stakes paper, students who love literature or history no longer have to meet the same mathematics benchmarks as an engineer. This means that they will not have the opportunity to succeed at mathematics and will experience a demoralizing cycle of fear and low performance. In other words, a student should not be viewed as weak in an area that is not related to their academic and career goals.
The Basic Level will allow students to gain competency in math concepts that they will use for daily living as well as for other areas of study. Students will not be burdened with the stress of trying to master advanced algebra or geometry.
The Standard Level will continue to challenge and support those who intend on continuing their education in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at the Senior Secondary School level and beyond. The curriculum that students will be evaluated on is designed to lay the groundwork for future studies.
At the same time, there are significant differences between the Basic Level and the Standard Level. The Basic Level is not a dumbed-down version of Standard Leve, rather, it provides an appropriate level of focus on real-world, daily math skills so that no student is left behind.
