PRAYAGRAJ, July 13 -- Major changes are coming to the UP Board's High School and Intermediate exam pattern, with question papers set to include more evaluative and creative components aimed at assessing student competencies. As part of this shift, the UP Board will train all school teachers in designing question papers that move beyond rote learning, focusing instead on critical thinking, creativity, and holistic development. The changes were discussed and outlined during a five-day workshop jointly organised by the Uttar Pradesh Board and NCERT at the Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute in Jhunsi, which concluded on Friday. The workshop focused on a standardised question paper template and the Holistic Progress Card (HPC), aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the national "Equivalence of Boards" initiative. To support this transition, the UP Board plans to provide comprehensive training to all school teachers in designing balanced and competency-driven question papers, in addition to relying on board-appointed experts. Although teachers currently design internal exam papers, many lack formal training in this area. The new initiative aims to make student assessments-both internal and board-level-more effective and aligned with national educational goals. During the workshop's closing session, participants developed blueprint formats and model question papers, focusing on the HPC and the new Question Paper Template (QPT). Professor Indrani Bhaduri, CEO of PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), explained that the HPC has been developed to facilitate a 360-degree assessment of each student. This includes teacher assessments, student self-assessments, and peer evaluations. She emphasised the need for standardised question papers, noting that India has 66 different education boards, and harmonising assessment criteria is essential for equity and quality. UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh highlighted that the HPC aims to evaluate students holistically-encompassing academic performance, co-curricular activities, and attributes of responsible citizenship. He added that these reforms are aligned with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and will help create parity across various school boards in India. Skand Shukla, the nodal officer for HPC, stated that the workshop saw participation from expert teachers of UP Board schools and subject specialists from SCERT institutions such as ELTI, State Institute of Science, State Institute of Education, and State Institute of Hindi, as well as resource persons from NCERT-PARAKH. "The goal is to design question papers that better tap into students' cognitive and creative abilities," said Shukla. "Since internal assessments prepare students for Board exams, large-scale training programmes will be launched to equip teachers with the skills needed to develop effective and balanced question papers."...