The Bhutanese Leading the way.
During the 10th Sitting of the Fourth Parliament’s Fourth Session, Education Minister, Yeezang De Thapa, stated that during the previous parliamentary session, the reinstatement of the Class X cut-off point had been discussed, with the view that it should either be deferred or removed entirely.
During the session’s Action Taken Report on the Class X cut-off point, Lyonpo explained that the Lhengye Zhungtshog had approved the alignment of the national curriculum with the Cambridge Curriculum. Therefore, Lyonpo added that the reinstatement of the Class X cut-off point is also a component of this curriculum reform.
Lyonpo further noted that the term “cut-off point” is misleading. “When the term cut-off is used, it translates to exclusion, so the ministry is planning to term it as a merit-based admission system,” the Education Minister said.
Lyonpo added that the Class X cut-off point should be understood simply as an academic checkpoint. “This is just to check the performance of the students,” she said.
Lyonpo shared that the ministry has decided to defer the Class X cut-off point. “This is because there have been many changes and ongoing work in Bhutan’s education system, particularly the alignment of the national curriculum with the Cambridge Curriculum,” Lyonpo said.
She then clarified that for Class X students in 2025, the cut-off point will be deferred until the Cambridge-aligned curriculum is fully rolled out, allowing schools and students time to adapt to the new curriculum.
Moreover, with the new curriculum alignment, Lyonpo mentioned that the examination system previously aligned with BCSE will also align with the Cambridge Curriculum, thus, the deferment of the class 10 cut-off point.
Lyonpo explained that, as students will be appearing for exams aligned with the new curriculum, the merit-based system will be determined based on their performance. MoESD will review the results and decide on the cutoff point policy in December 2027.
At the beginning of this year, the Education Minister had announced the decision to reinstate the Class X cut-off point, citing concerns over relatively low exam scores among students and aiming to raise academic standards and more accurately reflect students’ true abilities.
