BHUBANESWAR: Firming up plan for the merger of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) in the state, the Odisha government has decided to send a team to states that have carried out similar reforms in the recent years to study their approach and ensure smooth implementation of the move.
A senior official from the School and Mass Education (SME) department told TNIE that the joint team comprising members from CHSE, BSE and other concerned officials will visit states where such merger has already taken place to identify best practices that could be replicated to ensure a smooth merger process to create a unified state board for Class X and XII in Odisha.
Sources said the department had planed to send the team in the beginning of December. However, the plan was put on hold temporarily in view of the ongoing winter session of the Assembly and involvement of authorities of CHSE and BSE in working out the examination schedule for the Annual Higher Secondary Examination and Class X Board examinations.
“The team will now visit to study their merger plans after the winter session of the Assembly is over,” the official from the department said.
An official from CHSE, Odisha said ahead of their planned visit, they have identified a few states where the reform has already been put in place.
Assam is one of these states where their government has created Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB) last year merging the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) through the Assam State School Education Board Act, 2024, the Council official said and added that the team during its visit to such states will interact with education department authorities and other stakeholders to gather a comprehensive picture of how the restructuring was planned and executed.
The plan to merge BSE and CHSE in Odisha had been announced by the state government in August this year, following a review meeting of the SME department chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Currently, the BSE is responsible for the curriculum and exams for Classes I to X, while the CHSE is in overall charge of Class XI and XII in Odisha.
The Ministry of Education had also recommended seven states, including Odisha, to adopt a common board for Classes X and XII for improved academic outcomes earlier this year.