NEW DELHI, Apr 14: The class 12 examinations of the CBSE board scheduled to start from next month has been postponed at least till the middle of June while the class 10 examinations cancelled in view of the prevailing Corona situation in the country.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting on Wednesday presided over by the prime minister Narendra Modi.
According to an official spokesman of the union education ministry, in view of the cancellation of the Class Xth Board examinations, the results will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board. Any candidate who is not satisfied with the marks allocated to him/her on this basis will be given an opportunity to sit in an exam as and when the conditions are conducive to hold the exams. Board Exams for Class Xth was scheduled to be held from May 4 to June 14.
Pointing out that it was not possible to cancel the Board Exams for Class XIIthto also scheduled to be held from May 4 to June 14, the spokesman said the meeting decided to postpone the examinations for the time being. These exams will be held hereafter but not earlier than June 15. The situation will be reviewed on June 1 by the Board, and details will be shared subsequently. A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations.
The spokesman said the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister to review the examinations to be held at various levels in view of the developing Corona situation was attended among others by the union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary, School and Higher Education Secretaries and other top officials.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the well being of the students has to be the top priority for the Government. He also stated that the Centre would keep in mind the best interests of the students and ensure that their health was taken care of and at the same time their academic interests are not harmed.
An overview was given on the X and XII board exam to be held from next month. The pandemic situation in the country is seeing a resurgence of COVID 19 positive cases in many states, with a few states having been affected more than others. In this situation, schools have been shut down in 11 states. Unlike State Boards, CBSE has an All-India character, and therefore, it is essential to hold exams simultaneously throughout the country. Looking to the present situation of the pandemic and school closures, and also taking in account the safety and well-being of the students, the decisions for the two board examinations were taken, the spokesman said.
Officials in the ministry clarified that cancellation or conducting online examinations for Class 12 students was not an option. “CBSE is a national Board with students spread across the country. It’s not possible to conduct the exam online at short notice. How will the student familiarise themselves with the online pattern so quickly?” an official said.
The announcement comes in the wake of a spike in the Corona cases and a growing chorus of student voices and state governments demanding deferment of the Board exams. On Tuesday, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Maharashtra government and several others had urged the union government to develop a national consensus and possibly reschedule Class X and XII CBSE and other school Board exams.
The demand has also received the Opposition’s support. The Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had urged the Education Minister to intervene and direct CBSE to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the Board examinations in May despite the “massive and uncontrolled” rise in Covid-19 cases. In her letter, Vadra stated that lakhs of children and their parents have expressed “fears and apprehensions” about assembling at examination centres in the middle of the second wave of Covid-19.She also urged the government to consult all stakeholders before making “sweeping decisions”.
The state school boards of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have already deferred their Board exams.
(Manas Dasgupta)