December 29, 2025: The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) has reinstated the practice of allowing schools to set their own question papers for Class IX examinations under the 2025–26 academic year-end assessment cycle, reversing recent centralised paper-setting by the board itself. Following feedback from schools about the previous assessment arrangements, the board will now issue a blueprint that schools must follow when preparing papers for Class IX exams. These school-prepared question papers will then be collected cluster-wise and reviewed by senior teachers at the taluka level to ensure they align with the prescribed pattern and difficulty level.
Background: Why Are Schools Setting Papers Again?
Earlier in the 2025–26 academic year and throughout the last year, the Goa Board had centrally prepared Class IX question papers for both semesters as part of a temporary move to standardise assessments across schools. After gathering feedback from educational institutions about this system, the board decided to return the responsibility for paper setting to the schools themselves. Under the revised arrangement, schools will continue to evaluate answer scripts and upload marks on the board’s portal, while the Goa Board retains supervisory oversight and may use well-designed school-prepared papers to strengthen its future question bank.
How the New Process Will Work in Schools?
Under the revised policy, schools will prepare Class IX question papers based on the blueprint provided by GBSHSE. Once these papers are prepared by individual schools:
They will be collected cluster-wise by board officials.
Senior teachers at the taluka level will review them for compliance with pattern and difficulty standards.
Papers deemed compliant will be used for the Class IX end-term assessment.
Schools will evaluate answer scripts and upload results to the board portal.
This system aims to combine school autonomy with board supervision to maintain quality and uniformity in assessment standards across Goa’s schools. ([turn0news1])
Assessment Policy and Future Use of School Papers
Along with the return to school-set papers, the Goa Board will continue monitoring the evaluation process to ensure fairness and consistency. The board may also repurpose well-framed school question papers to build or enhance its internal question bank for future use, strengthening assessment resources for all schools over time. This policy shift reflects the board’s ongoing efforts to balance standardisation with local flexibility, responding to stakeholder feedback while maintaining the integrity of Class IX examinations.
