With an aim to reducing academic stress on students, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that students would have the option to appear for 10th and 12th class board examinations twice a year starting from the academic session 2025-26. This announcement came during the launch of the PM SHRI (Prime Minister Schools for Rising India) scheme in Chhattisgarh.
Speaking at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay auditorium in Raipur, Minister Pradhan highlighted that the decision aligns with the objectives outlined in the New Education Policy (NEP) unveiled in 2020. The NEP aims to provide students with ample opportunities to excel while reducing the burden of examinations. Under the new framework, board exams will be conducted at least twice annually, allowing students to choose their best scores.
Engaging with students present at the event, Minister Pradhan encouraged them to embrace the flexibility offered by the new system and assured them of the government’s commitment to providing quality education while nurturing cultural values.
In addition to announcing the biannual board exams, Minister Pradhan also detailed the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme in Chhattisgarh. In its initial phase, 211 schools, comprising 193 elementary level and 18 secondary level institutions, will undergo upgrades under a ‘hub and spoke’ model. Each school will receive ₹2 crore in funding to enhance infrastructure and educational facilities.
The ‘hub and spoke’ model entails a mentor institution acting as the central hub, guiding and supporting secondary branches, or ‘spokes,’ in their self-improvement endeavors.
Responding to a request from State Education Minister Brijmohan Agrawal, Minister Pradhan assured the inclusion of more secondary and higher secondary schools in the upcoming phases of the PM SHRI scheme, thereby extending its benefits to a larger segment of students across Chhattisgarh.
