Bihar government to replace ‘fail’ with ‘eligible for skills’ in Class 10, 12 marksheets

Noting that a student’s talent is not diminished simply because they did not manage to secure expected marks in an examination, Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari announced on Friday (August 28, 2026) that the word “fail” would be replaced with “eligible for skills” in marksheets of students appearing for Class 10 and 12 board exams in the State.

Mr. Tiwari also added that the State Education Department would soon issue the “necessary directives” to the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) in this regard.

“Students taking the Class 10 board supplementary examinations will receive special classes for one month to help them prepare better and to ensure success”, Mr. Tiwari said.

“The State government wants to protect the morale of students and an exam score does not define a child’s overall talent or future potential. So, the Bihar [School] Examination Board would use the word “kaushal ke liye patra” (eligible for skills) instead of “fail” on their marksheets”, said Mr. Tiwari while adding, “the Education Department would amend the rules and issue directives to the Bihar School Examination Board soon in this regard.

The Minister’s announcement was welcomed by students appearing for Class 12 examination, which is expected to be held in February 2027.

“Yes, change of the word will have a bigger role in maintaining our morale… ‘fail’ is such a demeaning term. Because of the social taboo attached with it, many students had, earlier, even taken their own life upon seeing the word on their school certificates, but now the government is taking steps to ensure students’ well-being . The move is a big boost”, said a group of students outside a coaching institute in Kankerbagh, Patna, on Friday (August 28, 2026).

Earlier, the Bihar government had announced it will conduct the Teacher Recruitment Examination-4 in a single phase following which students called off their protest in Patna’s Gardanibagh. The students were holding agitations over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. While expressing satisfaction over the government’s announcement, the students said “since the government has agreed to their demands, they have called off their ongoing protest… there is no point in taking this protest further”.

Student initiatives

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary will be launching a “Teacher Support Portal” at an event to mark Teachers’ Day on September 5, under which one teacher from each district would be honoured with a State-level award. Earlier, on August 27, the State government had launched a 24-hour one-on-one interactive learning digital platform, “Bihar Vidya Saathi” for students from Classes 9 to 12 offering live access to teachers and digital study materials to the students.

The announcement by the government further said that around 75,000 teachers would provide one-on-one academic support round the clock, allowing students to choose teachers as per their requirements.

Mr. Choudhary had also launched a platform for 700 Saraswati Vidya Niketan Model schools across the State through video conferencing on August 27. “It is a significant initiative towards providing quality education and proper guidance to children. Students will also have AI-powered tools for conceptual learning, unlimited study and practice, and digital material for Bihar Board, JEE and NEET examination preparations”, said a government press release.