Board exams twice a year and other changes in the Indian education system

A new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education 2023 has been drafted based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and new textbooks will be created for the 2024 academic year, announced Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan. Here’s everything you need to know about the big changes in the education system, effective 2024.

Main recommendations of the revised curriculum

Let’s take a look at the big changes in store for students in classes 9–12.

Two board exams in a year

The NCF has recommended that board exams should be conducted twice during an academic year, with enough time for students to prepare and perform well. They can then appear for the board exam in subjects they feel confident about. Students will be allowed to retain the highest score. Under the existing exam structure, they don’t have the opportunity to take the exam again or try again if they don’t pass the first time. This new change is expected to avoid rote memorization and encourage evaluation of knowledge. Moreover, school boards will soon be able to offer “on-demand” exams in the future.

Freedom to choose areas of learning

According to the revised framework, students will be able to choose their studies, without being constrained to specific streams. There will be no hard boundaries between academic and vocational subjects, or between science, social science, art, and physical education. Students can choose different pools of subjects.

Apart from seven mandatory subjects for classes 9 and 10, and six for classes 11 and 12, students can choose optional subjects from three groups. The first group will include art education, physical education, and vocational education. The second group will cover social science, the humanities, and interdisciplinary areas, and the third group will include science, math, and computational thinking. Environmental education will also be emphasized throughout the school years.

Multilingual proficiency to foster cultural identity
and for better job prospects

According to the NCF, students in classes 9 and 10 will study three languages, two of which will be Indian languages, while those in classes 11 and 12 can choose two languages, with one being an Indian language. The goal is to attain reading and writing proficiency in the language employed as the medium of instruction (ideally, a regional language) by age 8 (Class 3), and similar literacy in two other languages by ages 11 (Class 6) and 14 (Class 9).

“The textbooks for classes 3–12 are to be aligned with 21st century requirements, making them rooted and futuristic,” Mr Pradhan said. We look forward to seeing how the new developments in the curriculum will positively impact children’s learning.

For more information on the new framework click here.

Discover how the New Education Policy 2020 is designed to empower students with a holistic and flexible approach to learning.