The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) will be held this year and students who missed the opportunity last year might be accommodated, a government official said on Monday.

The NTSE was not held in 2022, marking the first such omission in its 60-year history and shattering the dreams of lakhs of Class X students who wanted to earn a scholarship.

Only Class X students can apply for the exam, which means that skipping a year amounts to depriving an entire batch forever.

“The education minister has given instructions that NTSE should be held at the earliest. We are examining how the Class X students of last year can be accommodated,” the official said.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday held a meeting on the new National Curriculum Framework and the new textbooks based on National Education Policy.

The minister asked the NCERT to develop textbooks in 22 languages included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

The NTSE, started in 1963 to identify and nurture talent, has been a sought-after test among bright students.

It is held in two stages, the first by the states separately as an elimination round and the second by the NCERT for the final selection of 2,000 students each year for the scholarship.

The last edition of the exam was held in October 2021, for the academic year 2020-21.