Students taking the class 10 Board exam from next year will have to study six subjects instead of five as Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has remodelled the examination pattern for schools offering vocational subjects.
In a circular released on Thursday, the CBSE said that the existing National Skill Qualification Framework guidelines have been discontinued and from 2018, students will have to study a sixth subject instead of the existing five subjects.
So far, vocational subjects were optional for students, but as per the new guidelines, they will be compulsory.
The subjects that students will study from next year include -- two languages, Mathematics, Social Science and Science along with a compulsary vocational subject.
According to the CBSE circular, if a students fails any of the three elective subjects (Mathematics, Science or Social Science), marks of the vocational subject can be computed to declare the result. However, the student can also re-appear for the subject he/she has failed in, if opted for.
According to the circular, all six subjects will weigh 100 marks each, including the vocational subject that will constitute of 50 marks for practical and 50 marks for internal assessment.
In a related move, the Board has discontinued seven academic electives including Philosophy for class 12 students and 34 vocational subjects.
