AP Government Confirms First-Year Intermediate Public Exams Will Proceed as Scheduled

The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to conduct first-year intermediate public examinations as per the existing system, following recent proposals from the Board of Intermediate Education (BIEAP) that had suggested their cancellation.

The Board of Intermediate Education had earlier proposed several reforms, including the implementation of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus, modifications in exam patterns, and changes to the internal marks system. A key recommendation among these was the cancellation of first-year public exams. However, this proposal faced criticism from various stakeholders.

In response to the feedback received, the board had invited suggestions and opinions from the public until the 26th of this month. Based on these inputs, the government has now decided to continue conducting the first-year intermediate public exams as usual. A significant argument against the cancellation was that it might reduce students' focus on academics, leading to a decline in learning outcomes.

As part of the confirmed reforms, the NCERT syllabus will be implemented while maintaining the current examination structure for both first and second-year intermediate students. However, there will be some changes in subject-wise assessments. The mathematics subject will no longer have separate A and B papers, and instead, a single combined paper will be introduced. Similarly, botany and zoology will be merged into a single biology paper. In language subjects, English will remain mandatory, while students will have the option to choose a second language subject.

The Board of Intermediate Education is expected to hold a meeting soon to finalize resolutions on these changes.