Gujarat Board Introduces New Promotion Rules for Classes 9 and 11

GANDHINAGAR,GUJARAT : The Gujarat Board’s academic committee made a significant decision to implement new promotion rules for Classes 9 and 11 Science and General streams, starting from the academic year 2023-24. These rules aim to streamline the promotion process and ensure fair assessment and advancement of students.

Under the new rules of the Gujarat Board, students who fail their annual exams in Classes 9 and 11 will have to take re-examinations within the first 15 days of the new academic year. Promotion to the next grade will be based on the results of these re-exams. Schools are mandated to conduct these re-examinations by June 29. Students who score 33% or more in the re-exams will be promoted to the next grade.

Additionally, the Gujarat Board has released specific promotion rules for Class 9. According to these rules, a student must appear in at least two out of three examinations (first, second, and annual exams) to be eligible for promotion to Class 10. Furthermore, a student must obtain at least 25% marks in each subject, with the annual examination results being prepared based on 100 marks.

Students who receive an ‘E’ grade will not be promoted under any circumstances. However, students who score more than 33% marks in Classes 9 and 11 can be awarded grace marks at a rate of one mark per percentage point, up to a maximum of 15 marks, to help them pass. For students failing in more than one subject, the examiner can give up to 10 grace marks, but these marks must be shown separately and will not be counted for ranking purposes.

The new rules also emphasize the importance of attendance. Students are required to have 100% attendance, although the principal can grant exemptions up to 15%. For exemptions between 15% and 25%, the district education officer (DEO) must be consulted. Any exemptions above 26% require the prior permission of the Secretary of the Board. These exemptions will also apply to school examinations in Classes 9 and 11, similar to the exemptions granted to students with disabilities in board examinations for Classes 10 and 12.

One of the critical challenges posed by these new rules is the induction of students who clear their retests after the new academic session has already begun. Schools have already admitted students to Classes 9 and 11, and incorporating those who pass their retests will require careful planning and adjustment.

Commenting on the new promotion rules, an official from the Gujarat Board stated, “The objective of these rules is to ensure that students are given a fair chance to prove their capabilities while maintaining academic standards. We believe this approach will motivate students to perform better and help in identifying those who need additional support.”