February 18, 2013, 12:00 am
The first Problem Solving Assessment (PSA) test, mandated by the Central Board for Secondary Education for students of classes 9 and 11 went off without a hitch in the city on Saturday.
The test included questions under quantitative reasoning, qualitative reasoning and language conventions. The first sections had questions on reasoning seen in the field of social sciences and arts. The second sections had questions on reasoning in areas like science and mathematics while the last section questioned students on the various aspects of written communication.
According to students and teachers at public schools across the city, the test was fairly simple.
"We had been asked to take mock tests prior to the main test on Saturday and therefore we were very comfortable while giving the final exam. The qualitative section was quite a lot of fun," said Meenakshi Cherian, a student of a popular south Delhi school.
The CBSE has introduced the test to quiz children on life skills.
"We held a mock test in our schools on Monday so the children were familiar with the kind of questions they would be asked. The final test went off smoothly," said Ameeta Wattal, principal, Springdales School, Pusa Road.
Some teachers from government schools, however, were doubtful about the usefulness of the test.
"The standard of teaching and students has gone down so much that some students in class 11 don’t even understand the meaning of bullying. How will they answer questions on it? The board has become too lenient and the quality is going down as a result. These tests are a good idea but in an environment where students and teachers are enthusiastic," said a teacher, on the condition of anonymity.
Some schools also said that they are clueless as to where the marks of PSA are to be added.
"We are waiting for further clarification on the inclusion of the marks in class 10 reports. The test is a good idea but should have been implemented in a phased manner and not so suddenly," said Anuradha Joshi, principal, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.
