The Class 10 and 12 Board examinations in Gujarat will begin at the end of this month – the first year since the formation of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) in 1972 that they have been brought forward from March. The government announced tentative dates for the exams in October last year. The exams are scheduled to run from February 27 until March 12. Why has this decision been taken? ‘Student friendly’ According to officials, the intention behind starting (and finishing) early is to begin the process of admission (to Class 11 or college) sooner, and to also give students more time to prepare for the supplementary or second exams if they have not performed well in the main exams. Also, students preparing for national competitive exams such as NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admission to medical colleges) and JEE (Joint Entrance Examination for admission to engineering colleges) will get more time. 1.4 million students A total 14,28,175 candidates are registered for the Class 10 and Class 12 (Science and General streams) exams this year. This number includes 8,92,882 students for Class 10, 4,23,909 for Class 12 General, and 1,11,384 for the Class 12 Science stream. Registrations for Class 10 have increased by more than 56,000 compared to March 2024; however, registrations for Class 12 have declined by 25,500 candidates in both streams combined. ‘Best of 2’ option open In October 2024, the GSHSEB allowed students the “best of 2” option across all streams. The Board had given this option for the first time to Class 12 Science students in the 2023-24 academic session. Students could improve their scores by appearing in supplementary exams in June-July. The government has claimed that the “best of 2” option will help reduce the “dropout ratio”, and is expected to benefit more than 2.11 lakh students of Classes 10 and 12. Students who fail or do not do well the first time will have a second shot at success, it has said. In the “best of 2” system, the better result out of the main and supplementary exams will be considered.
