The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) has decided to quash the system of allowing private students to appear in the board examinations for Class X. Secretary of the board Prabhat Sharma inform it and said that board would not allow private students to appear in the Class X board examinations from the current academic year. From next year, the entry of private students in the Class XI and Class XII board examinations would also be barred.
He said the steps had been taken to curb the mushrooming growth of private academies that were using unfair means to get their students cleared in the school board examinations. The secretary said from now onwards the board would take private students only through open schools. The government had decided to open 41 open schools at the subdivision level across the state. The principals of the government schools at the respective subdivision would be coordinators for the open schools in their areas.
The students who get themselves enrolled in the open schools would have to attend at least one of the four orientation programmes organised for them in a year. They would apply for the board examinations through the open schools and their examinations would also be held at the identified centres, he said. He said each private student who would appear in the board examinations through the open schools would be given nine chances to clear the papers. Students who had attained the age of 14 would be allowed to sit in the Class X board examinations.
