The Ministry of Education has requested the Central Board of Secondary Education to plan the logistics for conducting board exams twice a year starting from the 2025-26 academic session.

The introduction of a semester system has been dismissed, reportedly.

According to PTI, the ministry and the CBSE plan to meet with school principals next month to discuss the possibility of holding board exams twice a year.

The CBSE is currently figuring out how to adjust the academic calendar to include additional board exams without affecting the schedule for undergraduate admissions.

Reportedly, a consultation will be arranged next month involving school principals.

The proposal under consideration involves holding two editions of the board exams at the end of each academic year starting from the 2025-26 session.

However, the specific details are still being finalized and there are no intentions to introduce a semester system.

The ministry had originally planned to implement biannual board exams starting from the 2024-25 academic session, but it has been postponed by a year.

The new national curriculum framework (NCF), developed by the national steering committee appointed by the Union government and led by former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, suggested a semester system for students in grades 11 and 12.

The framework, which was released by the ministry in August last year, also proposed that the students be given the option to write their board exams twice a year.

Benefit of Biannual Board Exams

The CBSE is considering different schedules to ensure students derive maximum benefit and to achieve the goal of making board exams stress-free.

However, there are logistical challenges, given the exhaustive nature of conducting exams and the board is trying to make a plan to benefit the students.

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 10 and 12 board) exams twice a year just like the engineering entrance exam JEE. They can choose the best score… but it will be completely optional, no compulsion," he had said.

There have also been previous efforts to reform board exams like the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) was implemented for Class 10 in 2009; however, it was rescinded in 2017, and the board returned to the traditional format of year-end exams.

During the Covid pandemic, the board exams for classes 10 and 12 were divided into two terms as a temporary solution, but this year, the previous format of year-end exams was reinstated.