New Delhi: Those currently in Class IX will be the ones to chuck the boards first in the 2010-11 session. Students are amused as well as confused. With the modalities still being worked out, many students are not sure how scrapping the boards will affect them.

    Isha Gupta, a Class IX student of DAV School, Pitampura, said, ‘‘It feels nice as the burden on us will be reduced. Also, there won’t be much hoopla about the board exams. But then how will we choose our streams in Class XI?’’ Isha’s friend, Tanvi Jain, however, just wants to be happy about the decision. ‘‘There are reforms happening at last. Why should we think negative? I am sure things will fall in place,’’ Tanvi said.

    “Removing the Class X boards will definitely reduce the pressure on students. But by appearing for the boards in Class X, we would have got a better idea of the exams in Class XII,” said Utsav Bajpai, a Class IX student of Lotus Valley School in Noida.
    Sahil Jain from Salwan Public School (afternoon), Rajinder Nagar, said, “I will have to take the boards in any case because my school is till Class X only. But even if I had the option, I would have preferred to take the boards. The grading system, if implemented, will put a student with 90% at the same level as a student with 95%.”

    Whatever may be the apprehensions, students are upbeat about the extra time the new system will leave them with — dance, debates, sports...Ryan Rodrigues from Bloom Public School, Vasant Kunj, who is a state-level basketball player, said, “I used to be worried about missing classes in Class X because of my game. But now since there won’t be any boards, I can devote more time to basketball.”

source: TOI