Why the CBSE’s move towards competency-based assessment has a gap
The article critiques the implementation of competency-based assessment in CBSE schools, arguing that there is a significant gap between policy frameworks and actual classroom pedagogy. It suggests that while the board has successfully reformed assessment methods, schools lack the necessary support to build true experiential learning environments.
Why it matters
It identifies a critical systemic failure in educational reform where policy changes are not effectively translated into improved teaching practices at the school level.
A school principal told me, with genuine pride, that her school does experiential learning. They take students to the beach to clean it. I did not say what I was thinking, but I have not stopped thinking about it. This is not a criticism of that school or the principal. The intent was real. So was the effort. Community engagement has educational value but what was missing was something more specific: the understanding that experiential learning is not an activity. It is a pedagogy. It has structure, sequencing, reflection, and measurable learning outcomes built into its design. A beach visit without that architecture is a good morning out. Whether it qualifies as project-based learning depends entirely on what surrounds it, not on where the bus stops.
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