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Indian Express
18-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Aptitude tests for Class 9 admission to Delhi's School of Specialised Excellence on May 26 and 27
Signalling yet again a phased shift towards the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Delhi government's Directorate of Education has provided detailed instructions for Class 9 students seeking entry into the Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSEs) in the 2025-26 academic session. This marks a departure from the Delhi Board of Secondary Education (DBSE) structure, which has been the foundation of SOSEs since their inception in 2021. According to a circular, Class 9 admissions will be determined through aptitude tests that the directorate plans to conduct on May 26 and 27. The tests are tailored for different streams—STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and AFPS (Armed Forces Preparatory School) specialisations on the first day, and humanities, performing and visual arts (PVA), and HE21CS (High-end 21st century skills) on the second day. The aptitude tests will assess a range of cognitive abilities pertinent to each specialisation. The STEM and AFPS aptitude test will consist of 100 multiple-choice questions divided into four sections: language & comprehension (20 questions), mental ability (20 questions), mathematics (30 questions), and science (30 questions). The duration of this test is three hours, with negative marking applicable for incorrect responses. Similarly, the Humanities, PVA, and HE21CS aptitude tests will also be conducted over three hours, comprising 100 multiple-choice questions spread across five sections: reading comprehension & language ability (25 questions), logical and analytical reasoning (20 questions), quantitative aptitude and numerical ability (20 questions), social and emotional aptitude (15 questions), and creative and innovative thinking (20 questions). Negative marking will apply to this test as well. Eligible students can download their admit cards from May 21 onwards from the directorate's website. According to the circular, detailed guidelines regarding exam centres and roll numbers, among other things, will be made available online. The process requires students to log in using their registration ID and password on the SOSE admission portal, after which the admit cards can be accessed and printed. The directorate has scheduled an online orientation session on May 23 at 11 am for all centre superintendents, heads of schools, and exam coordinators involved in the examination process. Lead facilitators and heads of schools of designated test centres have been made responsible for the smooth conduct during test days. This arrives amid widespread confusion and concern among students, parents, and educators. SOSEs were launched in 2021 under the DBSE to offer skill-based, specialised education aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. However, the directorate recently announced that from this academic year, Class 9 students would transition to the CBSE curriculum, while Classes 10 to 12 would continue under DBSE for now. A senior directorate official said detailed guidelines for Classes 10 to 12 would be released in due course but that for now, the focus was on conducting the Class 9 admission process efficiently under the CBSE structure.
Indian Express
25-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Confusion reigns among students and teachers of Delhi Board's specialised schools on shift to CBSE
Starting this academic session, the Delhi government's Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSEs), which teach students from classes 9 to 12, will have students of different classes follow different boards – while Class 9 students will study Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum, the others will continue to follow the Delhi Board of Secondary Education (DBSE). The move, announced by the Directorate of Education (DoE) on Tuesday, has triggered confusion among students of SOSEs — first set up under DBSE in 2021 — their teachers, as well as parents. ''What textbooks should we buy, when will classes begin… these are some questions that anxious students, who are to take admission in SOSEs, are asking,' said an SOSE teacher. The teacher added that confusion prevailed among the faculty members as well. 'Will DBSE continue for classes 10, 11 and 12? We do not have any clarity.' According to the circular issued by DoE, the aptitude test for admission to class IX will be held shortly, and successful candidates 'will be enrolled under CBSE …'. Further guidelines for the admission process are expected to follow. The circular did not mention anything about the rest of the classes, forcing teachers to continue students under the DBSE. A senior official in the Education department said, 'Detailed directions will be released soon for admission to Class 9. For the rest, classes 10 to 12, guidelines will be issued time to time… these classes will as of now continue under DBSE…' 'At present, one of the main concerns of the parents has been answered, as we have said that Class 9 students will be enrolled under CBSE,' the official added. The timing of the decision, however, has raised concerns around academic planning, classroom preparedness, and clarity on curriculum. The SOSEs were launched in 2021 by the AAP government to offer specialised and skills-based education under DBSE to students of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12. This year, admission to SOSEs, which is completed by mid-April, is still continuing. The CBSE schools, however, have already commenced their new academic session at the beginning of April. According to the teacher, they have been informally integrating CBSE components into DBSE classes, especially for CUET preparation, but this has led to a 'pedagogical mismatch'. 'The staffers are attempting to bridge the gap by including CBSE content within DBSE lessons but the uncertainty is disruptive… We are teaching the content of both DBSE and CBSE,' said the head of one SOSE. Teachers point out that the pedagogy for CBSE and DBSE is vastly different. Under DBSE, teachers function more as facilitators in a student-led learning environment, whereas CBSE follows a more traditional instructional approach. The shift is forcing educators to straddle two worlds. A government school teacher who taught in SOSEs in the inaugural year, recalled, 'This is similar to 2021… I taught both sets of students, and teachers struggled because there was a lot of hard work and preparation needed, especially for DBSE. Students who joined from private schools might now be questioning their decision. If DBSE is being phased out, what has changed for them? This has impacted them the most.' Some parents are reportedly demanding a return to the RPVV (Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya) model, which the SOSEs had replaced. Unlike RPVVs, which admitted only students from government schools, SOSEs allow any student from a recognised school to apply, although 50% of the seats are reserved for students from government or aided schools. Delhi had started with 20 SOSEs in 2020-21, the number has now grown to 37. The AAP, meanwhile, accused the BJP government of taking a regressive step driven by political vendetta. 'This is a politically motivated step because the BJP government has not given any academic justification of why it is opposed to DBSE,' the party told The Indian Express. 'In its hatred towards the previous Kejriwal government, they do not mind playing with the future of nearly 12,000 students currently enrolled in DBSE-affiliated schools… This is a myopic and regressive decision.' The DBSE, AAP argued, was developed to align with the National Education Policy 2020 and reduce the dropout rate by offering an alternative to the expensive CBSE framework. Education Minister and BJP leader Ashish Sood had earlier said that all 'positive aspects' of Delhi's education system would be retained, and that 'innovative, new ones' would be introduced. However, there has been no formal explanation offered for why DBSE might be phased out.
