Daijiworld Media Network- Panaji  

Panaji, Sep 3: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Goa state council of education research and training (SCERT) will conduct centralised competency-based examinations for students from grade 3 to grade 8 beginning in October. 

Over 450 teachers from around 1,500 schools across the state have been trained in framing competency-based question papers. The training was conducted with the support of an external agency, which also assisted in developing a question bank. Teachers have already drafted model question papers, which have been shared with schools for reference.   

The common examination will be held as per a state-wide timetable. Students of grade 5 to grade 8 will begin their exams on October 7, while grade 3 and grade 4 students will start on October 9. The new system will cover more than 1.20 lac students. 

SCERT director Meghana Shetgaonkar said, “This is the very first time that such a competency-based centralised examination is being held on such a large scale. To ensure smooth implementation, we roped in an agency with expertise in preparing such question papers to train our teachers. Ten teachers per subject per grade were trained, and now, our teachers are independently setting the final papers.” 

She added that the initiative aims to bring “uniformity and standardisation” in assessing students across Goa. The examinations are compulsory for all schools, and SCERT has warned that any lapses will be taken seriously. Flying squads will be deployed to monitor the exams and ensure transparency.  

The move is part of the phased implementation of the national education policy (NEP) 2020 in Goa. The policy was rolled out in 2023-24 beginning with Baalvatika 1 (foundational stage), extended to Baalvatika 2 and class IX in 2024-25, and further expanded in 2025-26 to include Baalvatika 3, class III, class VI, and class X.