CBSE Class XII Board exams postponed, Class X exams canceled
The board exams of Class X, due to be held between May 4 and June 14, have been canceled, while that of Class XII have been postponed, in view of the explosion of coronavirus cases that India is battling with, currently. This decision came on Wednesday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting with HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' and other top officials.
Delhi CM had urged Centre not to conduct exams
Recently, a number of state governments had urged the Centre to cancel the exams. Yesterday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal drew attention to the precarious second wave and made a case for the same. "Alternative methods of assessment can be explored. Students can be promoted on the basis of either online exams or internal assessment," he had said in a video address.
Captain Singh wrote to Pokhriyal, said schedule has created apprehension
Kejriwal's Punjab counterpart, Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh, also wrote a letter to the Centre with the same request. "The steady increase in COVID-19 cases in most states of the country has created a sense of great apprehension and anguish among students and parents alike regarding the board examinations for Classes X and XII," he stated in the letter to Pokhriyal.
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh have also postponed the exams
In Maharashtra, the state board exams were postponed on Monday, and the Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had said she wanted the Centre to follow suit. "We will also be writing to the CBSE, ICSE, IB, and Cambridge boards, requesting them to reconsider their exam dates," she had tweeted. Like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have also postponed the Class X and XII board exams.
Last year, pending examinations were canceled due to pandemic
To recall, last year, the government had faced a similar situation due to the pandemic. Though the board had decided to hold pending exams between July 1 and July 15, the situation wasn't conducive for the same, and the exams were canceled altogether. Students were graded on the basis of exams that were conducted earlier and the internal assessment.
Situation will be reviewed on June 1
The Ministry of Education said today that results for students of Class X will be decided on the basis of an objective criterion which will be developed by the Board. "Class XII exams will be held later, the situation will be reviewed on 1st June by the Board," the statement added. Notably, just yesterday, India recorded the biggest single-day spike with 184,372 fresh infections.
PM Modi is concerned about well-being of students: Pokhriyal
On Twitter, Pokhriyal wrote that PM Modi spoke about the well-being of students during the meeting. "He also stated that the Centre would keep in mind the best interests of the students," the minister wrote. He revealed that students, who are not satisfied with their marks, will be given the option of taking exams once the situation gets better.
