The State government has issued an order giving approval for implementing subject minimum in annual examinations in class VIII this academic year, in class VIII and IX next year, and in classes VIII to X from 2026-27 for enhancing quality of school education.
The order also approves issue of guidelines for continuous evaluation of students to be implemented on merit basis and preparing programmes for quality improvement in classes I to X with the support of the people.
The order follows the Director of General Education’s recommendations to the government on the basis of those submitted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training Director in the wake of an education conclave organised with the aim of boosting the public education sector standards.
The report to the government calls for increasing effectiveness of academic activities to achieve quality and revision in assessment practices and ensuring it is implemented in a comprehensive manner. Teacher training should be given a makeover and its results ensured. Tech-friendly classrooms activities should be strengthened. Research activities in education should be re-envisioned. The report also called for raising administrative effectiveness. Support of the people and of other departments, institutions, and committees should be ensured for quality improvement initiatives.
Though the initial proposal was to have 30% minimum marks, no decision has been announced on this as yet. The guidelines to be submitted by the SCERT to the General Education department by the end of this month will have the percentage of minimum marks to be achieved.
The subject minimum was proposed for Class X initially, but the proposal was amended, purportedly so that its sudden introduction did not put the students appearing for public examinations to hardship.
Now, Class VIII students will be the first to become familiar with the subject minimum process. They will need to score the minimum marks in the theory component of each subject. At present, in a 50-mark paper, a student securing 10 marks for continuous evaluation in a subject needs to score only five marks out of 40 in the theory component to secure pass marks. If 30% minimum marks as proposed initially is implemented in the theory component, a student will have to score at least 12 marks to pass the examination.
