Jharkhand News : The annual examinations for Classes 8, 9 and 11 in Jharkhand’s government schools for the academic session 2025–26 will be conducted by the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC). The exams will be held in OMR-sheet format, and results are scheduled to be released before 31 March 2026.
From the next academic year (2026–27), the responsibility for conducting these examinations will shift to JCERT (Jharkhand Council of Educational Research and Training), which will conduct the exams from 2027 onwards based on the new examination pattern. Meanwhile, exams for Classes 1 to 7 are proposed to begin from 16 December 2025.
Key Decisions on Exam Preparation
The decision was finalised during a high-level meeting chaired by the Development Commissioner on Monday. The meeting was attended by JAC Chairperson Dr. Natwa Hansda, MLA members Mathura Mahato and Nagendra Mahati, along with School Education & Literacy Department Secretary Umashankar Singh and Director of Secondary Education Rajesh Prasad.
The JAC Chairperson confirmed that preparations for the exams are complete, but there is not enough time to implement the new exam pattern this year. As per the 2018 guidelines, exams for now can only be held using the OMR-based system, and therefore JAC has been permitted to conduct the exams in the current cycle.
Major Decisions Taken in the Meeting
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JAC will conduct the annual exams for Classes 8, 9 and 11 in the 2025–26 session.
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All exams and results must be completed before 31 March 2026.
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From the next academic session, JCERT will take full responsibility for these examinations.
Why This Change Was Needed
Last year, the state could not conduct the half-yearly examinations for Classes 8, 9 and 11. Even the Matric and Intermediate pre-board exams were not held. Considering this gap, the School Education Department prepared a detailed exam plan this year, including half-yearly, annual and pre-board examinations.
However, JAC objected, stating that it has historically conducted these examinations and should continue doing so until the new pattern is fully ready. Subsequently, the department sought a detailed exam roadmap from JAC. The council submitted two proposals —
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A two-term examination model, and
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A new exam pattern proposal.
After deliberation, the government decided that JAC will conduct exams this year, and JCERT will take over from next year.
