After 2 yrs, Board to revert to single exam this acad yr

Panaji: After conducting two terminal examinations for Class X and XII students during the academic years 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education will revert to a single exam for the academic year 2023-24.
Though the state board has recorded its highest-ever pass percentages at the 2022 and 2023 public exams, officials said that the scheme is being retired for now.
“During the pandemic, the two terminal examinations were introduced by the CBSE and several state boards. Now, the CBSE has withdrawn the scheme and, during 2022-23, it was in force by only three state boards, including Goa Board. In these circumstances, we have to revert to a single exam as well, for now,” said Goa board chairperson Bhagirath Shetye.
Shetye said that when the two terminal exam system was in force, it was seen to have several advantages.
“We analysed the results and saw that students performed better, especially at the first terminal exam,” he said. “The first term exam was held in multiple-choice questions (MCQ) format, while the second was held in a subjective format. We noticed some disadvantages as well. When students see how they performed at the first terminal exam, some can at times become lax during the second.”
He said that the two terminal exam system can be considered for reintroduction after studying the results over the two years when it was in force, so that it can be tweaked accordingly. “The scheme could be implemented in the future, perhaps, with some changes, like having the first terminal exam also in the subjective format,” said Shetye.
He said that the National Education Policy (2020) favours two terminal exams instead of a single year-end public exam.
During the pandemic, the two-exam scheme was introduced to reduce the stress for students. The syllabus was divided into two equal parts, and instead of the school conducting the first terminal exam, both terminal exams were conducted by the Goa board.
The final result is arrived at by combining the students’ performance at the first and second terminal exams, along with the internal evaluations carried out by the school.