CBSE Board exams will not be held in February 2021
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Tuesday said that the upcoming Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board examinations will not be held in February 2021. While holding a live interaction with teachers, Pokhriyal said the exact dates of the examinations will be announced soon. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government is notably keen on holding offline examinations. Here are more details.
'Received requests to postpone exams'
Pokhriyal said on Tuesday, "I received a lot of requests from various students and teachers to postpone CBSE Board exams for Class X and XII." "Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind and after various consultations, we have decided that Board exams will not be held in February," he said, adding that the government is in the favor of students.
Online exams not possible in rural areas, says Pokhriyal
The government observed that many CBSE schools are located in rural areas where conducting online examinations would not be possible, Pokhriyal said. Earlier, CBSE officials had also ruled out the possibility of conducting online examinations. They had said that alternatives would be explored if students are not able to sit for practical examinations before the written tests.
This year's CBSE exams were canceled
Earlier this year, Board examinations had to be postponed mid-way in March. The exams were eventually canceled as the pandemic progressed and the students were graded on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme. Competitive examinations such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) were also postponed twice this year due to the pandemic.
JEE Main to be held four times next year
Last week, Pokhriyal had announced changes in the pattern of JEE Main. He had said the exam would be held four times to give a fair chance to candidates who might miss an exam for various reasons, including the severity of COVID-19 infections in their regions. On the subject of Class X and XII Board examinations, Pokhriyal had said talks with stakeholders were underway.
