Assam Cancels Remaining HS First-Year Exams Amid Panchayat Polls

The Assam State School Education Board, Division-II (erstwhile AHSEC), has announced the cancellation of the remaining HS First Year Examinations, 2025, citing the upcoming Panchayat Elections. The decision, taken in a Board meeting on April 4, 2025, comes in light of teachers' engagement in election-related duties, making it unfeasible to conduct the pending examinations.

According to the notification, the State Election Commission has scheduled the election process to extend until May 20, 2025. With teachers required for election preparations, training, polling duties, and vote counting, the Board concluded that holding the remaining exams before or after the polls would be logistically challenging. As a result, the Board opted to cancel the remaining examinations while ensuring an alternative academic evaluation process.

To mitigate the impact on students, the Board has decided that all candidates who appeared in the subjects examined in March 2025 will be eligible to sit for the HS Final Examination in 2026. Additionally, it reaffirmed that the Class XI examination is primarily a school-based assessment. Over the past eight years, the Board has standardized question papers to maintain uniformity and help students prepare for the HS Final Examination.

However, individual institutions retain the flexibility to assess student performance internally.

While this decision aims to accommodate unavoidable administrative constraints, it has raised concerns among students and educators. Many fear that the lack of a complete examination cycle could affect academic preparedness and evaluation fairness. With no restrictions on internal assessments, schools may now play a crucial role in ensuring students receive adequate academic evaluation and feedback.