The biannual Class X board exams proposed by the CBSE will burden teachers and parents and disrupt the academic calendar, academics and parents have said.
Last week, the CBSE unveiled a draft policy on conducting Class X board exams twice a year from 2026 to enable students to improve their performance. The board has sought feedback from stakeholders till March 9.
According to the draft scheme, the first phase of the exams in 2026 will be conducted from February 17 to March 6 and the second phase from May 5 to 20. Students will have to pay fees for both exams.
The final marksheet will include the marks obtained in both exams and the best of the two scores for each subject.
Vijay Rana, whose daughter will appear for the Class X exams next year, said the new policy would help weak students improve their scores but the separate exam fees would put extra burden on parents. The CBSE charges an exam fee of ₹1,500 per candidate for up to five subjects. Under the new policy, a student will have to pay ₹3,000 for appearing in both the exams.
“Students from poor families find it difficult to pay even school fees. How will they pay the exam fees?” Rana said.
He said some students might devise a strategy and split up their focus areas over the two rounds of exams. “In order to get into the science stream in Class XI, some students may focus on science and maths in the first round and on social science and humanities in the second round,” he said.
Sudha Acharya, the principal of ITL Public School here, said the new policy would keep most teachers busy with exam duties and they might not be available for classes when the new academic year starts in April. “Teachers will not get vacation. During the summer, we conduct professional training for teachers, which will no longer be possible,” Acharya said.
Srinivasan Sriram, the principal of The Mann School here, said the students of residential schools would have to stay for an additional two to three months to appear for the second round of exams, increasing the financial burden on parents.
“I feel many students will not take the first test seriously as they have a second option. This will defeat the purpose of the biannual exams,” he said.
