Which States Following CBSE’s example,?

Following in the footsteps of CBSE and the Punjab School Education Board and the Tripura Board of Secondary Education have decided to switch back to the pre-pandemic format and conduct just one Board exam for Classes 10 and 12 in the academic year 2022-23. Even as Punjab and Tripura confirmed the rollback to The Indian Express, states like Himachal Pradesh and Goa have decided to continue with the two-term exam format for another year. The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic forced most school boards in the country to cancel the Class 10 and Class 12 exams. Instead, students were evaluated on their scores in previous exams, practical exams, and internal assessments. To avoid a repeat of this, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations last year announced a bifurcated format with two terms for the academic year 2021-22. The Term-I board exams were held in November-December last year, while the Term-II exams in April-May this year. CBSE’s announcement, state boards of Punjab, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, and Goa followed suit and announced two exams. These state boards also followed the same format as for the question papers — only objective-type questions for Term 1 and a mix of objective and subjective questions for Term 2. The Indian Express will conduct examinations for all classes based on the old pattern of annual exams from next year the decision to conduct two exams was taken to factor in uncertainties produced by the pandemic and when the situation is closer to normal, is in favor of returning to how things were in 2019. Goa decided against rollback, the chairman of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Bhagirath, said, We are going to continue with the two-term format. These are our initial steps towards NEP (National Education Policy 2020) to have a semester system. The other reason is that in light of the pandemic, although all our schools are running in full swing, we don’t want to take any risks. Also, to review any policy, we need to see the performance for at least two years. We have seen it last year and will see it again this year. So this year we will continue (with the two-term examination format). The new National Education Policy (NEP) launched in July 2020 advocates for making Board exams easier and conducting them twice a year to take pressure off, students. “Boards may over time also develop further viable models of Board Exams that reduce pressure and the coaching culture. Some possibilities include: a system of annual/semester/modular Board Exams could be developed – that each test far less material, and is taken immediately after the corresponding course is taken in school – so that the pressure from exams is better distributed, less intense, and fewer high-stakes across the Secondary Stage…” the NEP 2020 document states senior official with the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HP BOSE) echoed. “Going forward, we will stick to the two-term format because the NEP has recommended it. Moreover, the feedback about holding two exams has been good,” the officer said.