The Ministry of Education (MoE), according to sources, has requested the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to arrange the logistics for holding Board exams twice annually starting from the 2025-26 academic session.
They further added that the proposal to implement a semester system has been ruled out and that the CBSE would hold meetings with school principals next month onwards, to conduct Board exams twice a year, a PTI report stated.
Modalities of the exam under deliberation
CBSE is presently engaged in deciding on the details of how the academic calendar will be organised to incorporate an additional set of Board exams without affecting the schedule for undergraduate admissions, they stated.
According to a source, "The ministry has asked the CBSE to work on the logistics of how board exams will be conducted twice a year. The board is working out the modalities and a consultation will be organised next month with school principals."
No plans to introduce semester system
The source further added that the Ministry of Education is considering holding two sets of Board exams annually from the 2025-26 academic session, but the logistics are still under consideration. However, they also mentioned that there are no plans to introduce a semester system.
The ministry's initial plan was to introduce biannual Board exams from the 2024-25 academic session, however, it has been pushed back by a year.
As per the source, the CBSE is deciding on the schedule to make Board exams stress-free and students can derive maximum benefit from it. Although, they also underscored making the plan as seamless as possible.
Union minister's previous declaration
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had, last October, told PTI in an interview that appearing for Board exams twice a year won't be mandatory for students.
"The students will have the option of appearing for the (Class X and XII Board) exams twice a year just like the engineering entrance exam JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). They can choose the best score, but it will be completely optional, no compulsion," he had said.
Not the first attempt at reformation
The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) was implemented for Class X in 2009 but was taken off the table in 2017, thereby, leading to a return to the previous model of year-end exams.
Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board exams for Classes X and XII were temporarily divided into two terms as a one-time measure. However, the traditional format of year-end exams has been resumed again this year, reported PTI.
