Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: With the Grade 10 Board examinations scheduled to begin in March, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) has clarified the conditions students must meet to benefit from the newly introduced compensation scheme.
The Board has stated that students will be eligible for the scheme only if they secure at least 10 per cent marks in the external theory papers and Board-conducted practical examinations, wherever applicable.
Starting this academic year, the GBSHSE has done away with the earlier grade mark system for Classes 9 and 10 and introduced a compensation-based assessment framework in line with the National Education Policy (NEP). This mechanism will apply exclusively to students classified under the category “needs improvement.”
In a circular issued by Board Secretary Vidhyadatta Naik, it was specified that the compensation benefit can be extended to a maximum of two subjects. To qualify, candidates must meet the minimum 10 per cent threshold in both the external theory and practical components assessed by the Board.
Explaining the criteria, the Board noted that for theory papers carrying 80 marks, students must score at least eight marks, while a minimum of seven marks is required for papers of 70 marks. In practical examinations assessed out of 20 marks, candidates must obtain at least two marks.
The Board further clarified that these norms will also be applicable to sportsperson candidates. However, the minimum external mark requirement will not apply to skill-based subjects or subjects assessed entirely at the school level.
As outlined earlier under the revised assessment structure, students will study a total of ten subjects—six core academic subjects and four skill-based subjects. Under the scheme, a student who fails in up to two core subjects may still be declared successful, provided they score a minimum of 65 per cent in two skill-based subjects and at least 50 per cent in the remaining two.
The circular also reiterates that grades awarded for school-based assessment subjects will be submitted by schools directly to the Board.
From the current academic term, subjects have been grouped into two categories. Scholastic subjects include Language I, Language II, Language III, Social Science, Science and Mathematics, while skill-based subjects comprise Interdisciplinary Areas, NSQF or other vocational subjects, Art Education and Physical Education.
