Dharamshala: In a major step towards reducing academic stress and providing students more flexibility, the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board is set to implement an improvement policy for Class 10 and 12 students from March 2026. The board is preparing to conduct board exams twice a year — once in March and again in July — giving students multiple opportunities to improve their performance without facing failure or compartment tags.
“This system will give students more chances to succeed and reduce the pressure of one-shot examinations,” said Dr. Major Vishal Sharma, Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board. He added that the proposal for the improvement policy has been sent to the state government for approval, and once cleared, the new system will be implemented from March 2026.
According to the proposed policy, no student will now be marked as ‘fail’ or placed in the ‘compartment’ category. Students who do not clear one or more subjects in the March board examination will be allowed to reappear in July, offering a second chance within the same academic year.
Significantly, even students who pass the exams in March will be eligible to appear in July for improvement in any subject, enabling them to boost their scores for better academic or competitive opportunities.
To ensure that students’ education continues smoothly, the policy allows those who do not clear all subjects in March to still get admission into the next class. If they successfully pass the July exam, their academic session will continue without disruption. However, if they fail in the July attempt as well, they will have to repeat the class.
This move aligns with the broader goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises flexibility, stress reduction, and student-centric reforms in school education.
