During the 12th Meet the Press last month, Lyonpo Yeezang De Thapa, Minister of Education and Skills Development, announced that IT will not be included in the Class XII board exams this year. Instead, it will be introduced from next year. According to parents and teachers, this decision has led to a decline in students’ interest in IT, despite it being an important subject. Concerns have also been raised about its impact on students’ academic performance and future opportunities.
A teacher from a school in Thimphu stated that, ultimately, students are driven by marks. “There may be some who study a subject out of interest, but most do so to pass and excel. We have just begun the new academic session, and already, students are relieved that IT will not be part of the Class XII board exams. As a result, they are not paying attention to this crucial subject, which is unfortunate,” he said. However, he added, “It is still not too late, as schools have just reopened.”
Sonam Dorji, a parent, said he was shocked when he first heard the news. “The minister mentioned that students should gain essential technical knowledge without the pressure of a formal examination. My daughter was thrilled. Though IT will still be taught, the fact that it is not part of the board exams has made her lose interest. If the government wants to reduce exam pressure, they could remove assessments for other subjects instead,” he said. He further pointed out that students who do not take IT seriously now may struggle after Class XII. “If they choose an IT-related course in college, they will face difficulties,” he added. Sonam also questioned the decision to implement IT exams from 2026. “Will students in 2026 be more capable of handling pressure than those in 2025? I don’t understand this logic.”
Tashi, another parent, raised concerns about how the government will select students for IT courses after Class XII. “Scholarships are awarded based on overall and subject-specific performance. If, for instance, there are two IT scholarship slots and five applicants, how will the selection be done without an IT exam? Who determines who is better at IT?” she asked. She also questioned the justification for removing the IT board exam while retaining multiple exams for English and Dzongkha. “If reducing pressure is the reason, why not remove one of the English or Dzongkha papers? There are English I and II, and Dzongkha I and II.” She added that her son, who is not very strong in IT, will have no motivation to improve. “I kept telling him during the break that he must focus on IT because it’s an important subject. And now, I hear there won’t even be an exam. Is the ministry unprepared or uncertain about conducting the exam this year, even though it plans to hold it next year?” she questioned.
Ugyen Tshering, another parent, emphasized that the Class XII IT board exam would have been the true test of students’ understanding of the subject. “IT is a mandatory subject, and the board exams would have provided the perfect platform to assess students’ grasp of it. And again, why wait until 2026? Why not start this year? I have teacher friends who say it is still not too late. Moreover, there was no consultation with teachers—perhaps the ministry made this decision unilaterally.”
Another parent suggested that if IT is not included in the board exams, students should at least be assessed at the school level. “The marks could be used as a basis for scholarships, especially for IT-related courses. This way, students would take the subject seriously,” he said, adding that the decision is unfair to students who excel in IT. “Currently, grading is based on the five best subjects. Those who are good in IT will be at a disadvantage.”
Meanwhile, other parents and teachers the paper spoke to echoed similar concerns. They argued that it is still not too late to include IT in the board exams and emphasized the importance of assessment. If IT is not included in the board exams, they suggested that schools take responsibility for evaluating students to ensure they remain engaged with the subject.
Sangay Rabten from Thimphu
