Team Herald
PANJIM: With the senior school academic year set to roll out on April 7, Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Chairman Bhagirath Shetye clarified on Saturday that Class IX students won’t be detained even if they fail the exams once the results are declared on April 29.
Under the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP), these students will be Allowed To Keep Terms (ATKT) and will get the chance to clear the exams within two years.
Further on, the Board also rolled out a compensation scheme, under which a Class IX student who fails in two subjects will still be promoted to Class X if he/she scored 65% or more in two subjects and 50% and above in two more. With this, the Board is doing away with the system of grace marks from the 2026 session.
Among the other major changes that Shetye announced was the decision to give the task of setting question papers for Classes VI to VIII to the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). However, the job of checking the answer scripts will still rest with the schools.
Director of Education Shailesh R Sinai Zingde addressed the concerns surrounding the recently announced start of schools in April. The department revealed that it had received 4,047 objections and suggestions regarding the draft notification about schools starting the academic year in April.
Zingde said many of these objections were similar, with individual concerns being raised by numerous stakeholders.
One of the main concerns raised was the temperature in April. The State-appointed steering committee highlighted that academic years for CBSE and ICSE schools in the State traditionally begin in April, with remedial classes also taking place during this time.
Zingde emphasised that classes would be held from 8 am to 11.30 am to take into account the hot weather in April.
A one-month summer vacation will begin for these students from May 1 to June 4.
Shetgaonkar further clarified that the circular issued on January 30, 2025, regarding the start of the new academic year, was part of the process to assess preparedness and ensure the availability of free textbooks for students in Classes VI to VIII. Zingde also highlighted that consultations with school management, teachers, and parents had been ongoing since July 2024 to discuss the proposed changes.
Apart from Shetye and Zingde, the press conference was also attended by SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar.