The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, commonly known as UP Board, is set to introduce a new provision in its exam centre allocation policy after state government approval: Schools without proper functional laboratories will not be eligible to serve as examination centres for its 2026 edition of High School and Intermediate exams.
The move aims to ensure quality infrastructure for Board examinations.
The first-ever such recommendation to incorporate the condition in its exam centre allocation policy is being made by the Board in response to increasing complaints about non-functional or absent lab facilities in many schools across the state.
As preparations begin for the 2026 High School and Intermediate board exams— expected to witness over 5 million students registering— the Board aims to prioritise schools with adequate academic and practical infrastructure.
Board officials said that schools recognised under the science category are required to have laboratories for physics, chemistry, and biology. Similarly, schools offering humanities classes that teach subjects like computer science, geography, and home science must have laboratories for these subjects.
The Board had received complaints that although many schools have official recognition for these subjects, they either lack laboratories or the labs are not operational. Essential equipment and chemicals are also not being procured for these labs, and students have not even set foot in them for years.
{{/usCountry}}The Board had received complaints that although many schools have official recognition for these subjects, they either lack laboratories or the labs are not operational. Essential equipment and chemicals are also not being procured for these labs, and students have not even set foot in them for years.
{{/usCountry}}As a result, while students may be receiving theoretical knowledge, they are completely deprived of practical experience. However, having a functional laboratory is a mandatory condition for recognition. UP Board secretary, Bhagwati Singh, said that taking this issue seriously, the Board is recommending that operational laboratories be made a necessary criterion for a school to be designated as an exam centre for UP Board’s High School and Intermediate Examination-2026.
The state government has declared the UP Board examination centre allocation policy for 2025 on September 18, 2024 while the policy announcement for 2026 edition of the exam is still awaited.