Holding exams for various bodies putting burden on us: CBSE to HRD

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New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has written to the Union HRD ministry saying that the practice of it being asked to conduct various examinations which are outside its purview is creating an "extraneous burden" on it.

Sources told PTI, that ahead of the UGC-NET exam which is likely to be held in early next year, CBSE chairperson RK Chaturvedi has written to HRD ministry saying that holding large-scale examinations like these stretches its resources.

Chaturvedi has told the ministry that to raise the quality of education, the CBSE should focus on its core areas.

Officials, however, added that in the communication, which was also sent to the UGC, the CBSE has said that it can extend all technical support for the exam.

"The CBSE has expressed a view that it has been holding examinations ranging from entrance to undergraduate courses, to recruitments for institutions like Kendriya Vidyalayas to UGC-NET. He has conveyed that as these tests are large scale, they stretch CBSE's resources and affect the overall functioning," a senior HRD ministry official said.

Officials said that the CBSE chairperson has written a letter ahead of the UGC-NET examination scheduled to be held early next year, but the Board may still conduct the examination.

"It is still fine that the CBSE should conduct school level exams. But there are other exams of a different level. But till the time an alternate system is in place, the CBSE may be asked to conduct these exams," a senior HRD ministry official said.

It is learnt that the CBSE had also agreed to conduct recruitment exam for teachers for Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas but suggested that a different mechanism should be set up for this exercise.

When contacted, a senior CBSE official confirmed that a letter had been written by Chaturvedi and said that the intention is that the Board focuses more on its core responsibilities.