Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 4: The Karnataka Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools (KAMS) has urged the state government to reform the State SSLC (Class 10) board examination system in accordance with the assessment models used by CBSE and ICSE boards.
In a representation submitted on Saturday, members of KAMS appealed to V Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, and education minister Madhu Bangarappa.
The association plans to formally submit the memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on May 7.
KAMS has requested the government to lower the minimum pass marks to 33% through a combination of internal and external assessments. The current system under the state syllabus mandates that students secure 35% marks in the written exam alone which KAMS argues is unfair compared to the central boards.
According to the CBSE and ICSE systems, students need to score only 33% overall in each subject, with internal assessments accounting for up to 20 marks. For example, if a student scores full marks in internal assessment (20/20), they only need 13 marks out of 80 in the written exam to pass. In contrast, under the Karnataka State syllabus, students must secure at least 28 out of 80 in the written exam for subjects like Mathematics, regardless of internal marks.
“This is unjust to students in the state syllabus when they pursue higher education after SSLC,” the memorandum stated. KAMS insists that this discrepancy puts state board students at a disadvantage compared to their peers in central boards.
The association further recommended that from the 2025–26 academic year, the SSLC exam pattern be restructured. They proposed the introduction of formative assessment from Class 1 itself to regularly monitor student learning levels.
Additionally, KAMS has called for the strict implementation of Section 16 of the amended RTE Act, 2019, which deals with student assessments and promotion.
Another key recommendation includes the introduction of two levels of examination—basic and standard—for Mathematics and Science. This would allow academically stronger students to attempt more challenging papers, while others could opt for simpler ones, ensuring a fair evaluation of all learners.
With these reforms, KAMS believes student outcomes can improve significantly while promoting a more inclusive and realistic evaluation model across Karnataka's school system.