Indian school board relaxes passing rule for tenth standard

Muscat: Indian students taking the tenth standard boards this year will get the benefit of a rule relaxation.
Earlier, there used to be only written exams for tenth standard. However, last year, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced that from 2018, tenth board exams would be conducted for 20 marks of internal assessment (internals) and written exams would carry 80 marks.
CBSE recently disclosed their decision that the students will now need to secure 33 per cent marks collectively in both internals and written tests of each subject to pass, rather than getting passing marks in both sections separately as was first thought.
However, the rule has certain exceptions. The rule has been communicated to relevant authorities through a circular.
These rules will apply to tenth standard students in Oman’s Indian schools and elsewhere. However, from next year onwards, students in standard ten will have to acquire 33 per cent marks in both internals and written tests separately to be able to pass.
Tenth standard students study five regular subjects and a fifth and sometimes a sixth additional subject. The same rule will apply to these additional subjects chosen by students.
However, if the students have picked a language as an additional subject, the rule will not apply and they will have to secure the passing marks in both internals and written tests.
Moreover, there are some vocational subjects that will not subject to this rule. These subjects have been listed separately by the CBSE and typically carry internal assessment test worth 50 marks.
A CBSE circular said that these rules were for tenth standard students appearing for exams this year only. It added that the move would make it easier for students to transition to a new system.