A recent notification from the Union Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, might just be a new leaf for the Indian academic system. According to Pradhan, the board exam twice a year system will be implemented from the academic year of 2024-25.
For students living in India, the board exams for both X and XII standards have been important milestones along their academic journey. Yet, as other competitive exams rule the roost, the importance of board examinations has reduced. This article explains the changes we can expect to see from the academic year 2024-25.
What will be the pattern for the CBSE board exam 2024?
In short, all school boards which are following the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) will be having board exams twice a year. This means the curriculum set for a singular academic year will be split into two semesters of 6 months each, on average.
The direction comes from the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommendations made to the NCF, which deals with an updated pattern for assessments and exams. According to these changes in the pattern, the NCF is creating an adapted curriculum for CBSE board exam 2024.
All this while, students have been sitting for board exams at the end of classes X and XII. The upcoming assessment pattern offers two chances to take the board exam at each of the above-mentioned grades. There exists an option to attempt the examination either once or twice. The better or aggregate of these two examinations will be considered the final grade. It is easy to understand how this takes a lot of pressure away from students. Moreover, it familiarises the student with sitting for high-intensity examinations which is helpful for overall development.
What other changes will NCF 2024 bring?
Apart from conducting board exam twice a year, the curriculum for schools will undergo a few other changes by the academic year 2024-25. Keep reading to know more.
New subjects such as Skill, which is more hands-on and vocational, will be given equal importance to other academic topics. This creates a holistic learning curriculum rather than training only for strictly classroom topics.
Secondly, there will be a change in the structure of language learning subjects. The concept of languages as subjects for secondary education is being replaced as a whole. Now, language will be known as the medium of instruction. Focus will also be put on learning multiple languages. For example, from classes VI to X a student will study three languages out of which two are to be Indian languages. From XI onwards, students are required to learn two languages out of which must be an Indian language.
Last but not least, the foundational schooling period has now been increased by 3 years, to a total of 15. This is because Bal Vatika classes 1, 2 and 3 have been formalised for the first time.
Pretty awesome news right, but when will all these changes be happening?
What are the phases of implementation for the board exam twice a year?
Overall, we can say that the system will be finally seen in effect in 2025 since the first board exam for both classes X and XII will be held between March to May of 2025. In other words, those appearing for the CBSE board exam 2024 will not be tested according to this pattern. Only students who are in classes IX and XI will begin the board exam twice a year system in 2024.
The NCF (National Curriculum Framework) has taken up this challenging task with the goal of designing the new syllabus and allocating freshly printed textbooks for classes IX, X, XI and XII. Printing at once also allows teachers to familiarise themselves with future teaching material.
As for the new system of languages, it will be rolled out in 2024. The New Education Policy 2020 has also spoken about semester-based curriculum structure from class IX onwards. The four years of education will be split into 8 semester-based exams. Although, you can count on this one being put into action a little later.
So, this was a brief insight into the future of Indian education which continues to move towards global standards. Let us know how you'll be preparing for it in 2024!
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