The annual examinations for classes 1 to 9 in government and aided schools across Kerala will begin by the end of February. From this academic year onwards, only those students who secure a minimum of 30% marks in class 8 will be promoted to the higher class. For those who do not meet this requirement in the general examination, additional learning support will be provided in the following weeks, followed by a retest.
The minimum marks requirement will extend to class 9 next year, and for SSLC, it will be implemented the year after. Education Minister V Sivankutty explained that this initiative was not intended to fail students but to ensure the standard of education.
In Lower Primary schools attached to High Schools, annual exams will be held from February 28 to March 27. For Upper Primary classes, exams will run from February 27 to March 27. Examination schedules for stand-alone LP and UP schools are still being finalised. The class 8 exams are set from February 24 to March 20, while class 9 exams will take place from February 24 to March 27.