Twice-a-year board option from 2026-27: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Twice-a-year board exam option will come into effect from the 2026-27 academic session, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said at the ET Roundtable on Tuesday, putting to rest speculation over the timeline for the National Education Policy (NEP) linked reform to reduce 'exam pressure'.

"We will do it from the next academic year 2026-27. We are preparing for that," Pradhan said.

On the NEP recommendation to bring in a semester system in class 11 and 12, he said that discussions were underway but moves such as Boards twice-a-year and semester system must not be seen in 'isolation' and as part of a larger reform path to unburden the student and offer new avenues.


Speaking on the issue of NEET exam leak crisis of 2024, Pradhan said a decision would soon be taken with the health ministry on the new format for NEET-UG but also underlined that a 'knee-jerk' reaction was not advisable.

"Consider this. JEE, a computer-based test, involves 15 lakh students. That number goes up to 25 lakh plus in NEET-UG...We cannot go for a knee-jerk reaction where students are concerned. Transformation and transition are both important but when dealing with students, we have to be mindful of their mindset and viewpoint. Whatever the Radhakrishnan Committee has said - and what the parent ministry (health) says, we will go with that," Pradhan said.

He said it is essential to follow a 'UPSC' like 'sacrosanct' exam model for exams being conducted by NTA, bringing in state government and even district-level administrative machinery as a 'team' to ensure 'full accountability' and transparency in the exam system.