Plan logistics for biannual boards, Centre tells CBSE
NEW DELHI: The Union ministry of education has asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to prepare a roadmap for conducting board exams twice a year, and will consult with stakeholders next month, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The new national curriculum framework (NCF) released last year proposed the students be given the option to write their board exams twice a year.
In February, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the plan was likely to be implemented from the academic year 2025-26.
According to a senior education ministry official, CBSE has been asked to work out the modalities of how the academic calendar needs to be structured to accommodate another set of board exams without impacting the undergraduate admission schedule.
“The ministry along with the board will hold a consultation with CBSE school principals and stakeholders to discuss this . Other issues related to the
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 implementation will also be discussed during the same,” the official added, asking not to be named.
A second official said that the major challenge the board is facing is scheduling.
“CBSE conducts exams between February and April and releases results in May. The entire process takes almost three months to complete. If we conduct another exam after that it will take another three months and by that time the majority of the universities have already started their academic sessions. What will be done about that?”
“There are logistical challenges also,” the official added.
According to the principal of a CBSE school in Delhi, the board met with school principals earlier this year to discuss the issue. “The board already conducts supplementary exams and also provides an option for improvement exams with that. Several school principals suggested making the improvement exam the second board exam during the meeting. However, we have not heard anything from the board after that.”