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.

Currently, 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.

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.

The 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.