In the view of adopting the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which includes eliminating the Class 10 board exams in order to avoid overburdening students by requiring them to appear in two board examinations (for Class 10 and Class 12), the Gujarat government hopes to be the first state in the country to implement the policy suggestion and eliminate the Class 10 board examination by next year.
As of now, school education is structured as a 10+2 system, with 10 years of secondary school followed by two years of higher secondary school.
The NEP 2020 proposes a 5+3+3 structure, with the first five years (from nursery to Class 2) being foundational, the next three years (from Class 3 to Class 5) being preparatory, the next three years (from Class 6 to Class 8) being middle, and the last four years (from Class 9 to Class 12) being secondary education.
It goes on to say that a child should be admitted to nursery school when He/she is at least four years old, as this will prepare them for the Class 12 exam when she/he is 18 years old.
It would be a difficult task to bring about change in the existing structure because it would affect a large number of stakeholders and a wide range of policymaking and changes.
Although, according to sources, the state government plans to implement the new structure beginning with the next academic year – 2022–23, which will begin in about six months.