---
title: "Kerala Defers Minimum Marks Rule for SSLC This Academic Year"
english_title: "Kerala Defers SSLC Minimum Marks Rule This Year"
publisher: "Truevision English News"
canonical_url: "https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/383500/kerala-defers-sslc-minimum-marks-rule-this-year"
published_at: "2026-09-20T05:49:00+05:30"
category: "Kerala"
language: "en"
image: "https://cf.zdn.im/img/truevisionnews.com/0/image-uploads/6aaf282320fda_kerala-defers-sslc-minimum-marks-rule-this-year.jpg"
keywords: ["Kerala SSLC", "minimum marks", "SSLC exam", "education policy", "school education"]
---

# Kerala Defers Minimum Marks Rule for SSLC This Academic Year

> **Lead Summary:** **Thiruvananthapuram:** The minimum marks requirement for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination will not be implemented in Kerala during the current academic year. However, the minimum marks system introduced in Classes 8 and 9 during the previous government’s tenure will continue. The UDF government has decided to defer the decision taken by the previous LDF government to introduce the minimum marks requirement for Class 10 this year. Education Minister N. Shamsudeen said the decision was taken as practical issues, among other aspects, need to be examined.

## Article Content

**Thiruvananthapuram:** The minimum marks requirement for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination will not be implemented in Kerala during the current academic year. However, the minimum marks system introduced in Classes 8 and 9 during the previous government’s tenure will continue. The UDF government has decided to defer the decision taken by the previous LDF government to introduce the minimum marks requirement for Class 10 this year. Education Minister N. Shamsudeen said the decision was taken as practical issues, among other aspects, need to be examined.

Under the minimum marks system, students are required to secure at least 30% marks in the written examination in each subject to pass. This differs from the system in which the 20% marks awarded by teachers through continuous evaluation (CE) are also considered for determining whether a student passes.

The decision to reintroduce the minimum marks system was taken two years ago following complaints that academic standards were declining. It was implemented in Class 8 during the 2024–25 academic year and in Class 9 during the previous academic year. The system had also been scheduled to be introduced for the SSLC examination from the current academic year.

In Classes 8 and 9, students who failed to secure 30% marks in the annual examination were not failed outright. Instead, they were given special training during the vacation and allowed to take the examination again. A similar approach to ensuring a specified level of learning was implemented at the UP level during the previous academic year.

However, implementing the same system for the SSLC examination would not be practical, as students who fail to secure 30% in the written examination in every subject would have to be failed. This could lead to a sharp decline in the SSLC pass percentage, which has remained above 99% for years. It could also reduce Plus One admissions and result in a greater loss of posts in higher secondary education.The government’s position is that these issues will be examined before deciding whether any change is required.

The minimum age for admission to Class 1 in government schools will remain five years in the next academic year as well. Since 2022, the Centre has been asking states to raise the minimum age for Class 1 admission to six years in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP), but Kerala initially did not agree.

In 2024, the LDF government decided to raise the minimum age to six years from the current academic year. The decision was later postponed to the next academic year. The UDF government has now decided not to implement that change.

The assessment is that the five-year age limit, which has been followed in Kerala for years, need not be changed. It is also assessed that raising the minimum age to six could lead to a sharp decline in the number of children entering Class 1 in that year.

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- [Original Story Source](https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/383500/kerala-defers-sslc-minimum-marks-rule-this-year)