No students qualify for newly introduced class XII re-sit

2026-03-03 - 12:04

Earlier this year, parents and students were happy when the education ministry said class 12 students could re-sit the exams or papers for English and Dzongkha. But none of the class 12 graduates will be re-sitting the mandatory subjects this year. The Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment reviewed the class 12 results and confirmed that none of them qualified or met the criteria required. The Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment has set four criteria. Firstly, the candidates must have narrowly underperformed in only one compulsory subject that is Dzongkha or English. The candidates should have failed in the written exam by no more than two marks. Another condition is that they should have secured at least 80 per cent in any four registered subjects. And finally, they should show strong performance in school-based assessments. According to the council, the measure aims to give eligible students who have very good overall academic performance a fair chance to obtain formal certification while maintaining academic standards. It stated that candidates who pass the re-sit exams are awarded only the minimum pass mark required for certification, regardless of their actual score in the re-sit examination. As no candidates met the criteria this year, the re-sit exam was not conducted. More than 9,000 students appeared for the Class XII examination last year. 100 failed the English paper, while 141 did not pass in Dzongkha. The council introduced the re-sit provision only for class 12 graduates, given the certification significance. In January, the ministry had also included class 10. Class XII represents the final stage of secondary education and serves as the formal certification level for progression to higher education, scholarships, and employment. Sangay Chozom Edited by Tandin Phuntsho