Telangana is preparing to merge intermediate education with the school system and create a common board overseeing academics and examinations for Classes IX to XII, according to senior Education department officials. The proposed restructuring will require amendments to the Telangana Education Act, 1962, and the repeal of the Intermediate Education Act, 1971.
A Bill to implement the changes is expected to be introduced during the forthcoming winter session of the Telangana Assembly. The proposed body is likely to be called the Telangana School Education Board, although the government has not yet finalised all details of the integration.
At present, Class X examinations and intermediate examinations are conducted by separate authorities. The Directorate of Government Examinations oversees the Class X examination, while the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education conducts examinations for intermediate students.
“Necessary amendments will be brought to the Acts and Telangana Board of Intermediate Education ceases to exist post intermediate integration with the school education as a common board will be formed. We are still working out details,” senior Education department officials said, according to Telangana Today.
The proposed merger could also change how educational institutions are organised. Junior colleges may add Classes IX and X to their existing programmes, while schools with the required classrooms and other infrastructure could introduce Classes XI and XII, officials said.
The plan therefore involves more than combining examination authorities. It could require institutions to accommodate additional age groups, courses and administrative responsibilities. The source report, however, does not specify the infrastructure standards, staffing arrangements, affiliation process or funding framework that would govern such expansion.
Officials have also not decided whether the Class XI board examination will be discontinued. When asked whether Telangana would follow the Central Board of Secondary Education model, under which there is no board examination for Class XI, officials said no decision had been taken.
The government has indicated that the integration will be gradual. “Integration process will be carried out slowly,” officials said. The proposed Bill and subsequent amendments will determine the legal structure and implementation process for the common board.
