The Tamil Nadu government has taken a significant step towards implementing its State Education Policy by issuing a Government Order (G.O.) to cancel the 11th standard public examinations, starting from the upcoming academic year. This decision marks a notable shift from the system introduced in 2017.
As per the new G.O., starting from the academic year 2025-2026, students in the 11th standard will now undergo examinations following the procedure that was in place before the 2017-2018 academic year. It is worth noting that 11th standard board exams were initially introduced in 2017 to ensure a comprehensive teaching of the entire syllabus across all schools.
However, the Director of Government Examinations will still administer the 11th standard public examination for the next five years, until March 2030, specifically for students who have previously failed the 11th board exam. This provision ensures opportunities for re-examination.
The Government Order also specifies a change in the mark certificate system. From the academic year 2025-2026, the Director of Government Examinations will no longer issue integrated mark certificates that include 11th-grade scores. Instead, mark certificates will exclusively reflect the Class 12 public examination results after students complete them.
This decision to cancel the 11th standard public exams addresses a long-standing demand from numerous schools and teachers’ associations. The government order formally enacts the State’s announcement, which was initially made when the comprehensive State Education Policy was launched in August 2025.