Education ministry urges 7 states to adopt common board for Classes 10, 12
The Ministry of Education has recommended that seven states — Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal — transition to a common board system for Classes 10 and 12. This move comes after a detailed analysis by the Department of School Education flagged these states as accounting for nearly 66% of all student failures in board examinations last year.advertisementCurrently, India has 66 school examination boards, comprising three at the national level and 63 at the state level (54 regular and 12 open boards). Data shows that while the top 33 boards cover 97% of students, the remaining 33 boards serve just 3%, raising concerns about their effectiveness and reach."Adopting a unified board structure for Classes 10 and 12 can greatly improve the schooling experience and outcomes. Lack of standardisation has led to inconsistencies in student performance," said School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar.HIGH FAILURE RATES SPARK CONCERN
In 2024, over 22.17 lakh students failed the Class 10 exams, while 20.16 lakh failed Class 12. While these figures reflect an improvement from previous years, they remain a significant hurdle in ensuring smooth transition to higher education and reducing dropout rates.advertisementThe analysis revealed that open school boards continue to struggle, with only 54% of Class 10 and 57% of Class 12 students passing. Officials stressed the need for the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to expand its reach, especially in states with high failure rates. Currently, NIOS has a stronger presence in Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana — states that also have some of the lowest student failure rates."There is a need to standardise assessments, curriculum design, paper setting, promotion criteria, and exam schedules across all boards. Institutions like NIOS must enhance their outreach to ensure students remain within the education system, supported by initiatives like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and active parental engagement," Kumar added.GIRLS OUTPERFORM BOYS IN SCIENCE STREAMA positive trend noted in the report was the increasing success of girls in board exams, particularly in science. More than 28 lakh girls cleared science subjects in 2024, surpassing the 27.2 lakh in the arts stream — a significant shift from 2022 when the number stood at 23.3 lakh.The report also highlighted disparities in performance based on the language of instruction. Students writing exams in Odia and Malayalam consistently outperformed those in Kannada, Telugu, or Assamese. Interestingly, Kerala, Odisha, and Manipur — states that have integrated or centralised board systems — reported exceptional pass percentages, with Kerala achieving a staggering 99.96% success rate.advertisementCENTRAL SCHOOLS LEAD IN COMPETITVE EXAM SUCCESSAdditionally, centrally managed institutions like Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) and Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) continue to deliver strong academic performances. In NEET-UG 2024, 72% of students from NVs qualified, while both KVs and NVs maintained impressive results in engineering entrance exams as well.Navodaya Vidyalayas, known for their residential, co-educational setup, aim to provide quality education to talented students from rural backgrounds. Their consistent success, especially in competitive exams, underscores the value of structured and standardised educational models.Trending Reel
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Education ministry urges 7 states to adopt common board for Classes 10, 12
The Ministry of Education has recommended that seven states — Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal — transition to a common board system for Classes 10 and 12. This move comes after a detailed analysis by the Department of School Education flagged these states as accounting for nearly 66% of all student failures in board examinations last India has 66 school examination boards, comprising three at the national level and 63 at the state level (54 regular and 12 open boards). Data shows that while the top 33 boards cover 97% of students, the remaining 33 boards serve just 3%, raising concerns about their effectiveness and reach."Adopting a unified board structure for Classes 10 and 12 can greatly improve the schooling experience and outcomes. Lack of standardisation has led to inconsistencies in student performance," said School Education Secretary Sanjay FAILURE RATES SPARK CONCERN In 2024, over 22.17 lakh students failed the Class 10 exams, while 20.16 lakh failed Class 12. While these figures reflect an improvement from previous years, they remain a significant hurdle in ensuring smooth transition to higher education and reducing dropout analysis revealed that open school boards continue to struggle, with only 54% of Class 10 and 57% of Class 12 students passing. Officials stressed the need for the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to expand its reach, especially in states with high failure rates. Currently, NIOS has a stronger presence in Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana — states that also have some of the lowest student failure rates."There is a need to standardise assessments, curriculum design, paper setting, promotion criteria, and exam schedules across all boards. Institutions like NIOS must enhance their outreach to ensure students remain within the education system, supported by initiatives like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and active parental engagement," Kumar OUTPERFORM BOYS IN SCIENCE STREAMA positive trend noted in the report was the increasing success of girls in board exams, particularly in science. More than 28 lakh girls cleared science subjects in 2024, surpassing the 27.2 lakh in the arts stream — a significant shift from 2022 when the number stood at 23.3 report also highlighted disparities in performance based on the language of instruction. Students writing exams in Odia and Malayalam consistently outperformed those in Kannada, Telugu, or Assamese. Interestingly, Kerala, Odisha, and Manipur — states that have integrated or centralised board systems — reported exceptional pass percentages, with Kerala achieving a staggering 99.96% success SCHOOLS LEAD IN COMPETITVE EXAM SUCCESSAdditionally, centrally managed institutions like Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) and Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) continue to deliver strong academic performances. In NEET-UG 2024, 72% of students from NVs qualified, while both KVs and NVs maintained impressive results in engineering entrance exams as Vidyalayas, known for their residential, co-educational setup, aim to provide quality education to talented students from rural backgrounds. Their consistent success, especially in competitive exams, underscores the value of structured and standardised educational Reel
