The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has been directed by the Ministry of Education to make arrangements for conducting board exams twice a year. This development is likely to be implemented from the academic year 2025-26, reported PTI. The motive behind this initiative, as per the New Curriculum Framework (NCF) introduced by the Ministry, is to give students enough time and opportunities to perform well and also provide them with an option to retain their best score.
Sharing a positive view on the possible development, Shashikala, Principal of Narayana e-Techno School, Thane, stated that it is a beneficial move if it is implemented.
"It will be a good decision because if we conduct two-time exams, they will get plenty of time for preparation. They will have to study 50% of the syllabus in the first term and 50% of the syllabus in the second term. So it will be easy for students to prepare for such examination," she told the Free Press Journal.
Sharing similar sentiments, Brian Alex, principal of Birla Open Minds School, Malabar Hill, shed light on the process of implementation of this system at the schools.
He said, "It will be difficult to implement it at first but it will get easier with time. It all depends on the new government. If the government changes, all of this will be put on hold, we can only wait for the official directive."
Alex further highlighted that this will ensure that the students are actively participating in the learning process.
When asked about the choice to appear for the board exams either once or twice a year, several students chose the latter option.
"This will make everything so easy. We will only have to focus on a couple of subjects and not the entire book. This will also help us learn and understand topics better. I would surely opt to take the exam twice a year," said Vishal Jha, a student at Saraswati Vidhyalaya High School, Thane.
Some students also vouched for this move to reduce examination stress.
"Where the portion stress is reduced, the stress and anxiety caused by the board exam to a student persist. This will cause me to feel anxious even more," said Gargi Vishwakarma, a student at VIBGYOR Roots and High, Mumbai.
Hiba Hushye, a student at Podar International School, Nerul, said, "This will help me score better marks in the exam because if the portion is divided in half, I can focus on one thing at a time and not stress about learning the entire textbook for one exam."
While the principals and students have expressed optimism about this development, the parents are concerned.
Ranjeet V, a parent of a Grade 9 student at VIBGYOR Roots and High, stressed that this might cause the students to be more anxious about exams than before. He said, "Students always stress more about board exams as compared to other tests. I am afraid my child won't be able to focus on studies due to the increased anxiety if the board exams are conducted twice a year."
Another parent, Pratibha M, shared similar concerns. She emphasised that although the portion will be divided, the child won't have the time to relax and enjoy their childhood. "The child will be forced to focus only on their studies, when will they get the time to live their childhood?" she questioned.
The board is currently working on restructuring the CBSE academic calendar to add another set of board exams, without affecting the undergraduate admission schedule. The details of this process are yet to be figured out by the board.
To consider conducting the board exams twice a year, the Education Ministry, along with CBSE, will conduct a discussion with school principals next month.
The Free Press Journal reached out to the CBSE spokesperson for comment, but no response was received until the publication of this article.
(With Inputs From PTI)
