ICSE and ISC students to study AI, robotics from 2025
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), which conducts ICSE and ISC board exams, will introduce major changes in the 2025-26 academic year. The reforms will bring CISCE's academic structure in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The changes will affect more than 30 lakh students across India. One of the major reforms is introducing robotics and artificial intelligence as subjects for Classes 11 and 12.
CISCE to launch holistic progress card
The council also plans to introduce a "holistic progress card" to evaluate students' overall development. The progress card will assess achievements in academic and non-academic spheres, giving a comprehensive view of learning outcomes. The new method will capture the full range of student abilities and accomplishments.
Major changes in board exam structure
Starting 2025, the structure of board exams will change drastically. A quarter of the questions will be based on competency, which will increase to 40% by 2026 and 50% by 2027. Joseph Emmanuel, the CEO and Secretary of CISCE, said these competency-based questions will test core competencies rather than memorized facts, making exams more skill-focused.
Digital assessments to be introduced for lower classes
In a bid to improve the quality of education, CISCE will introduce digital assessments for Classes 3, 5, and 8 from 2025-26. The assessments will function as diagnostic tools to identify students who need remediation, and those with exceptional abilities. This is part of CISCE's larger plan to use technology in education.
CISCE to launch school improvement plan
The council intends to launch a school improvement plan to raise standards in government schools. High-performing schools will be incentivized to work with state governments, to improve the quality of education in public institutions. Emmanuel stressed that the reforms seek to make education more balanced and skill-oriented, thus making board examinations more student-friendly and reflective of real-world skills.
