TOI: State seeks your feedback on ‘best of 5’ plan for admission: February 09, 2010

Mumbai: The state government is all set to implement its brand new ‘best of five’ policy for junior college admissions. According to this system, instead of calculating a student’s percentage in all six subjects at the SSC, the score will be calculated for the best five subjects.

   But, before taking a final decision on the matter, the state government has thrown the floor open for debate as well as for suggestions on the topic. So if you want the government to know what you feel on the subject, you can mail the SSC board at best5@msbshse.ac.in. The last date for sending in suggestions is February 15.

   The state education department had made a presentation on the ‘best of five’ policy before the CM last week. A month ago, the system had been cleared by the SSC board. Education minister Balasaheb Thorat said that no final decision had been taken on the policy and that the government was only inviting suggestions from the public.

   There are a few differences between the system that the SSC board proposed and the one that the government wants to follow. The SSC board’s proposal said that as long as students passed in English and Marathi, they could be promoted to Class XI even if they failed one subject at the SSC. But, according to the government’s proposal, children will have to pass in all subjects.

   If students want to pursue science in junior college they will have to score at least 40% in science and math in the SSC. “I am all for the ‘best of five’ system as it does not force students to excel at all subjects, but allows them to build on their strengths,’’ says Fr Francis Swamy, principal of Holy Family High School, Andheri, and a member of the SSC board.

   But the parent of a Class-X student who will appear for the SSC exams this year told TOI that she was sceptical of the system. She is worried that it would result in children neglecting one subject.

   The best of five policy is in sync with what is being practised by the national boards. The CBSE board has only five subjects and the ICSE board takes into account the best five of seven subjects ICSE students need to pass in English and four other subjects.

   Even though the ICSE board takes into account the best five subjects, when it comes to junior college admissions the marks in all seven subjects are taken into account. There is hope that when the ‘best of five’ is implemented for SSC, the same will hold true for ICSE.

   The government wants to introduce the best of five policy to standardise the marks scored by students from different boards and put them all on the same platform for junior college admissions.