VIJAYAWADA: The Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh (BIEAP) is set to come up with a series of reforms from the academic year 2025-26.
Following the instructions of HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, these reforms, evolved based on feedback from the public, stakeholders, parents, students, and academicians, aim to enhance the quality of education, promote interdisciplinary learning, and align the Intermediate system with national standards.
A key change is the revision of the syllabus in line with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023, ensuring that students engage meaningfully with the material rather than resorting to rote memorisation. As part of this initiative, first year Intermediate students will have new textbooks from the next academic year, while second year students will transition to revised textbooks by 2026-27. The revision process was carried out by a Subject Committee comprising university professors, degree college lecturers, and junior lecturers, covering subjects in science, arts, humanities, and languages.
To provide students with greater flexibility and encourage multidisciplinary learning, the BIE is introducing new subject combinations. Mathematics-A and Mathematics-B will be integrated into a single subject, Mathematics, while Botany and Zoology will be merged into Biology. Additionally, students will have a wider range of elective and additional subject options. English will remain a compulsory subject, while second language options include Telugu, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Tamil, Kannada, Odia, Persian and French. Students can also choose from main subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Economics, Commerce, and Civics, as well as minor subjects such as Geography, Logic, Public Administration, and Modern Languages.
Speaking to TNIE, Kritika Shukla, Secretary of BIE, said, “These reforms mark a significant step towards improving education quality in the State.” A significant reform is the introduction of an additional sixth subject for students in the MPC and BiPC streams. This will allow BiPC students to take Mathematics as an additional subject, and MPC students to take Biology, enabling greater career flexibility for those interested in fields like biotechnology and bioinformatics. The additional subject will be optional, and marks obtained will not be included in the total aggregate. Students must secure at least 35% to pass the subject.
To align with these changes, the BIE has also revised the marking system. With the integration of Mathematics-A and Mathematics-B into Mathematics, and the merger of Botany and Zoology into Biology, marks have been adjusted while maintaining the total of 1,000 for both years combined. Starting from the 2025-26 academic year, first year question papers will be redesigned to include one-mark questions, enhancing the assessment of students’ understanding and application of concepts.
The weightage pattern has also been revised. Additionally, for the first time, the government will provide free textbooks, notebooks, records, and lab manuals to students in government junior colleges soon after reopening.