Nagaland Board flags serious learning gaps in Class XI exam results

•    NBSE finds Students lack basic knowledge and comprehension 
• Calls for improvement in teaching methodology

Morung Express News 
 Dimapur | August 21 

The Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) has raised serious concerns about the academic performance of Class XI students in the 2024 Promotion Examination, deeming it “unsatisfactory.”

The Board’s general observations on student performance across all subjects were based on its internal analysis of the 2024 promotion examination answer scripts.

The identified gaps in learning included a lack of basic knowledge, comprehension, and reading skills.

According to a document uploaded on the NBSE’s website, the findings were shared with the principals of higher secondary schools in the State in July, along with suggestions for improvement and corrective measures.

Key findings on students
As per the NBSE, the unsatisfactory performances of students may be due to lack of conceptual understanding as well as inadequate preparation on the part of the students.

Among other concerns, the Board expressed apprehension that many students lack even basic or simple concepts.

Students also struggled with Multiple Choice Questions, reflecting a lack of clarity and insufficient engagement with the textbook, it said. 

Additionally, the NBSE discovered that some students failed to perform well in answering competency-based questions based on a given passage, as they were unable to grasp the message conveyed by the passage.

In the English subject, the Board noted that many students did not attempt all the questions in the literature section, attributing this either to a lack of interest or inadequate teaching of the basics in the classroom.

The analysis also revealed that many students had difficulty constructing sentences and expressing ideas, with answers either poorly structured or containing numerous spelling errors. 

The majority of students could not answer even the simplest direct questions, indicating a lack of reading, the Board observed.
Furthermore, some students made careless mistakes when answering questions, suggesting they were either not reading the questions properly or were not serious about their studies.

Arbitrary marking by Teachers Detected
The teachers’ evaluations based on the scripts received was satisfactory in most subjects,”, the NBSE analysis noted, it also flagged several concerns.

One of the primary concerns was arbitrary marking, with the Board stating that it was “not satisfactory” in some scripts.

On the one hand, there were instances of over-marking or failure to award marks to correct answers, while on the other, some teachers were found to be awarding marks randomly – for example, giving 2 marks for all questions carrying only 1 mark. 

The analysis also revealed that some teachers were “not sure” of the correct answers for the Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs).
Noting carelessness on the part of the teachers, the NBSE stated that some students’ answers were not corrected or evaluated, and there were errors in the total marks scored as well as a failure to follow the mark distribution.

Worryingly, the analysis also detected instances of marking based on the “face value” of the scripts without considering the content.

Replacing rote learning & other suggestions
Along with the analysis, the NBSE provided a set of ‘Suggestions for Improvement,’ including discouraging rote learning and the culture of spoon-feeding. 

Classroom teaching should focus on a conceptual understanding of topics or concepts to discourage rote learning among students, it advised.

To help students improve their performance, it would be beneficial for teachers to ensure that students fully grasp and understand topics or concepts, especially for competency-based questions, it added. 

The NBSE also recommended that students read the prescribed textbook, with subject teachers guiding them to solve different types of questions in the classroom.

As competency-based questions are new for students, subject teachers must put in more effort and guide them during classroom teaching to ensure clarity of concepts, thorough knowledge, and better understanding for answering such questions, it said. 

It also urged teachers to frame more competency-based questions and administer them to students in Mid Term and Model Examinations, as most students are struggling with these issues.

The NBSE stressed that the “ready-made and spoon-feeding culture” of giving answers to students should be discouraged, as it does not promote self-learning. 

To move away from rote learning, it also recommended replacing the “one-way autocratic teacher-centric approach” with an interactive classroom learning approach, with greater emphasis on group activities, inter- and intra-role play within the classroom to enable learning with understanding.

For Children With Special Needs (CWSN) and slow learners, it called on teachers to identify the varied needs of such students and provide one-on-one attention and support to help them overcome learning challenges. 

Teachers must always act as guides and facilitators of knowledge, the NBSE emphasised.

Other suggestions included group discussions among students, more assignments and classroom activities, as well as regular school-based assessments of both students and teachers to identify learning gaps and provide remedial teaching where necessary.

Based on the overall pass percentage, the NBSE noted that while performance in the Arts stream has fluctuated over the past five years, it has been declining since 2021 in Commerce and in 2022 and 2024 in Science. 

Consequently, the NBSE called on the Heads of institutions in the Commerce and Science streams to conduct internal analyses and take all possible remedial measures to enhance learning outcomes and improve student performance.