Students may get two board exam chances starting 2025-26

Raipur: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced a possible major reform for students on Monday, offering them the option to appear for 10th and 12th board exams twice a year beginning in the 2025-26 academic session. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s goal of reducing academic stress and fostering holistic learning.

“One of the objectives of the NEP is to reduce academic stress on students,” Pradhan stated while launching the PM SHRI scheme in Chhattisgarh. This scheme aims to upgrade 211 schools in the state.

Highlighting the importance of holistic development, Pradhan emphasised engaging students with art, culture, and sports beyond academics. He said that the idea of “10 bagless days” per year will help schools to organise activities beyond traditional classroom learning.

The twice-yearly exam window aligns with the New Curriculum Framework (NCF) announced by the Ministry of Education last year. This aims to provide students with multiple attempts and more flexibility to showcase their abilities while reducing exam-related anxiety.

They will also get the option to retain the best score.

Asking students present at the function if they were happy with the decision, the Union minister told them to keep the best marks obtained after appearing in both exams.

He reiterated Prime Minister Modi’s vision for the NEP: “to keep students stress-free, enrich them with quality education, keep students linked with culture, and prepare them for the future.”

He highlighted the contrast in focus on education by the current and previous governments in Chhattisgarh, emphasising the current administration’s commitment to improving the state’s educational landscape.

The PM SHRI scheme, utilising a “hub and spoke” model, will invest Rs. 2 crore in each of the 211 schools chosen for initial upgrading. This model envisions mentor schools (“hubs”) guiding and improving surrounding schools (“spokes”). The program will expand to include more secondary and higher secondary schools in the future.

Pradhan also shared a bold vision for the future, aiming for 10% of India’s 2036 Olympic medals to come from Chhattisgarh athletes. He called for immediate preparations to achieve this ambition. with agency inputs