Speaking at an interactive session with heads of various CBSE schools in Kolkata on Wednesday, Joshi said like other institutions CBSE will also accept students of other boards. He said the purpose of the changes, which the CBSE is taking, is not to make watertight compartments.

Principals of various schools had raised the issue of transfer of students from one board to other.

The CBSE chairman said the Board has started discussion with parents across the country on the new changes it is embarking upon and he is keen to have such a discussion in Kolkata, too.

From the coming academic year, the CBSE would not have a Board examination for Class X students. This was the first interaction of the chairman with the heads of schools since the CBSE came up with optional board examination. West Bengal has around 130 schools affiliated to CBSE, including Kendriya Vidyalayas.

“The schools will judge students through a continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE). It will have a formative part which will be taken by the school through unit tests, oral examination and a sumative test through the pen-paper model. The certificate of Class X will be the same throughout the country (a yellow rust paper with CBSE stamp) and for Class IX, schools can have their own report cards.

Students will also have to sit for an aptitude test. “The test will have multiple choice questions, to help examiners judge whether the student has an aptitude to study science, commerce or arts,” said Joshi.

The chairman said students keen to know their merit can sit for the proficiency test that will be held nationally. The papers for this test will be sent by the Board.