The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked schools to ensure that projects and assignments given to students under the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme must be done as group activities in school and not carried home. The CBSE decision is seen as an attempt to stop students from taking their assignments home. The board had recently expressed concern over students outsourcing their projects to siblings and parents or to entrepreneurs who have set up shop. In a new circular on the implementation of CCE in upper primary classes VI to VIII,the CBSE has asked schools to communicate to their teachers that various projects and assignments given to children must be done within school time and in class. The board has released a teachers manual listing its directives. The Indian Express had earlier reported that schools were extending the tools and techniques of CCE to upper primary classes. The CCE takes into account both scholastic and non-scholastic areas for grading a student. The teachers manual has recommended a nine-point scale for scholastic components and a five-point scale for co-scholastic components, said a CBSE official. Co-scholastic areas consist of life skills,values,health and physical education,etc. The CCE was implemented in class IX last October. The CBSE has also raised concerns about the CCE such as too many tests,assignments,projects,homework and review tests and increasing stress on students .
