PANAJI
The recently concluded competency-based examination for Grade 3 students, conducted by the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT), has sparked outrage among parents, who claim the assessment was far too difficult for seven and eight-year-old children.
Parents raised concerns over the 3D aptitude reasoning and Konkani papers, pointing out that the model question papers provided to schools and families did not match the final exam. Several students were reportedly in tears after struggling with the questions, some of which were considered out of syllabus or disconnected from the current education system.
The first-ever centralized common summative examination by SCERT was conducted from October 7 to 9 for students of Grades 3 to 8, with the goal of standardizing student assessments in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).
The SECRET, admitting to the parents' concern, said that all the feedback would be reviewed seriously and necessary steps would be taken up before the next summative examination. “We have received mixed responses from the schools and parents. While some have raised concern about the question papers for Grade 3, there are several schools and parents who have appreciated our efforts and the competency based level we have introduced,” SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar told The Goan.
While stating that all concerns and feedback are been taken into account, Shetgaonkar appealed to parents to approach them if they have any issue pertaining to the examination.
The parents noted that NEP was introduced to release the burden of children but the current examination proves otherwise. “The current implementation of the NEP, particularly in the context of the recent examination papers, raises serious concerns. The question papers set do not reflect an understanding of age-appropriate learning levels. Many of the questions are beyond the cognitive capacity of children as young as 8 years old,” Anthea Mendonsa, a parent said in her social media post.
Parents such as Rodney Travasso of Margao criticized the mismatch between model papers and the actual exam. “These are eight-year-old children and not PhD candidates,” he remarked, adding that ultimately, students would bear the brunt of poorly designed questions.
“If this is how Math papers are set for Grade 3… I’m fully expecting Quantum Physics in Grade 4”. There is absolutely no connection between the model paper given and the actual exam paper,” he posted further.
Other parents echoed similar concerns. Digvijay Mulgaonkar called the 3D aptitude reasoning “too much for Grade 3,” while Cheryl Rebeiro E DeSouza pointed out that even the mathematics questions were out of syllabus and difficult for children to comprehend. Giselda Menezes said that not just math, but all papers were challenging and questioned the clarity of the implementing agency.
“Are teachers really accustomed to this…are they capable of solving the question paper in one go? Which I doubt ... the level of imagination required for this reasoning question is very high…it’s a total mess,” Mulgaonkar said.
Norvin Menezes expressed concern about the Konkani paper, saying, “Many students were crying during and after the paper. This is going to create a dislike for the language.” The parents also raised doubt over credibility of question paper setters.
The controversy has ignited a broader debate over the practical implementation of the NEP in Goa and whether question papers are being designed keeping children’s age and learning levels in mind.
