The Central Board of Secondary Education is expected to come to a decision on making the Class 10 board exams compulsory from the next academic year by the end of December, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday. He said it was unfair to exempt 20 lakh students under the CBSE board from the test, while 2.3 crore others across the nation had to sit for papers at that level.

Currently, CBSE students can choose between an examination set by the board and a school-based test. “I am very sure [CBSE Class 10] examinations will be mandatory for all students from the 2017-18 academic year, Javadekar said, adding that his ministry did not want to “create exam-oriented pressure on students”.

Moreover, the HRD ministry is focusing on amending the “no-detention” provision of the Right to Education Act, and the Law Mnistry had approved a proposal on the matter, Javadekar said, adding that the Cabinet will decide on the matter within two weeks.

“I hope that by April, we will have an amendment that will allow states to take a call on whether to have detention or not,” HRD minister said. The Right to Education Act’s no-detention provision prohibits schools from detaining students till Class 8.

Earlier on Tuesday, CBSE asked schools affiliated to it to go cashless in terms of fee collection starting January 1, 2017.