PANAJI
The Goa State Council of Educational Research and Training (GSCERT) has announced that, from the academic year 2027-28, it will discontinue the practice of supplying English versions of question papers to schools whose officially approved medium of instruction is not English.
In a circular, SCERT stated that no requests for English versions of question papers from schools having a medium of instruction other than English will be entertained from 2027-28 onwards. “Question papers will thereafter be supplied strictly in accordance with the school's approved medium of instruction,” the council said.
As a final concession, SCERT has decided to continue the facility during the 2026-27 academic year for students of Grades III and IV. Schools with a medium of instruction other than English may obtain English versions of question papers only after submitting a written request to SCERT on or before August 31.
The move comes after GSCERT had, for the past academic year, received requests from several non-English medium schools seeking English versions of question papers. Sources said the council had agreed to the requests after considering students' learning abilities and transition needs.
Officials indicated that the transitional arrangement is intended to give schools adequate time to align teaching and assessment with their officially approved medium of instruction before the policy takes full effect next year.
The circular also states that the question papers primarily comprise competency-based questions aimed at assessing conceptual understanding, application of knowledge and higher-order thinking skills, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. An appropriate proportion of questions may also follow the pattern of competitive examinations to familiarise students with such assessment formats.
