Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that appearing twice a year for the 9th and 10th board exams will now be optional instead of mandatory. This move is said to be aimed at relieving some stress of the students and reducing the stress being caused by the fear of single opportunity. This comes after the New Curriculum Framework announced by the Education Minister in August which said that board examinations will be held twice a year for the students have enough time to prepare and retain the best score for their future.

Speaking to PTI, Pradhan explained, "The students will have the option of appearing for the exams twice a year, just like the engineering entrance exam JEE. They can choose the best score...but it will be completely optional, no compulsion."

"The students often get stressed thinking they lost a year, their chance is gone or could have performed better... the option is being introduced to reduce the stress caused by the fear of single opportunity," Pradhan said. "If any student feels that he is completely prepared and is satisfied with the score in the first set of exams, he can choose not to appear for the next exams. Nothing will be mandatory," he added.

In light of recent suicides in Kota, the Union Education Minister said that there is an immediate need to de-stress the environment. "It is a very sensitive issue. No lives should be lost... they are our children. It is our collective responsibility to ensure the students are stress-free," he said on the matter.

He also said that the issue of ‘dummy schools’ demands a full and serious discussion. Dummy schools are those schools where students enroll themselves but move away to attend coaching classes instead without attending full-time schools. This is popular amongst students who aspire to give JEE or NEET exams.

"The issue cannot be ignored. Although the number of such students is not very high as compared to the total number of students... the time has come to have serious discussions and deliberations on the subject," he said.

Dharmendra Pradhan, who also holds the portfolio of skill development minister, assured a close tie-up between education and skill development ministries for creating a work-ready generation. "To achieve this, we are creating synergy between education and skills to provide students with both academic and practical skills. Today, there are close to 1,000 skill hubs with one lakh candidates enrolled in them. Going forward, we plan to set up 5,000 such centres," said Pradhan.

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