Thursday, 15 April 2021 | PNS | New Delhi
Govt defers Class XII examinations amid rising Covid concerns
The Centre on Wednesday announced the cancellation of CBSE Board examinations for Class 10 and postponed Class 12 exams in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Both board examinations were scheduled for May-June.
The revised dates will be announced after June 1. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of rising cases of Covid-19 cases and concerns raised from various quarters, including a few Opposition parties.
The meeting was attended by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, education secretary and other officials. The meeting also discussed a uniform policy or guidelines on board exams across States as was being demanded by several State Ministers.
The CICSE, which is the other prominent national board for school examinations, said it is reviewing the situation and will come up with a decision soon in this regard.
According to the official sources, Modi said the Government would keep in mind the best interests of the students and ensure that their health is taken care of at the same time their academic interests are not harmed.
After the announcement, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi tweeted that a decision must be taken for Class 12 too. “Glad the Government has finally cancelled the 10th standard exams, however a final decision MUST be taken for the 12th grade also. Keeping students under undue pressure until June makes no sense. It’s unfair. I urge the Government to decide now,” she tweeted.
The decision by Centre on CBSE will affect over 21 lakh students across the country. This is the first time that the Central Board of Secondary Education has altogether cancelled the board examinations conducted by it. Last year, the exams were partially cancelled in Delhi in the wake of riots in northeast Delhi and Covid-19 cases.
The CBSE will review the situation on June 1 to decide on the Class 12 exam schedule while objective criteria will be decided for Class 10 results.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Union Education Ministry said, “Looking to the present situation of the pandemic and school closures, and also taking in account the safety and well-being of the students, it is decided as follows.”
“The Board Exams for Class 12 to be held from May 4 to June, 14, 2021 are hereby postponed. These exams will be held hereafter,” the Minister added. The situation will be reviewed on June 1, 2021 by the Board, and details will be shared subsequently, the official statement read.
A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations
“The board exams for Class 10 are hereby cancelled. The results of the Class 10 board will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the board,” the official said.
Any candidate who is not satisfied with the marks allocated to him or 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, the official added.
Besides Nishank, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary, School and Higher Education Secretaries and other top officials from Home and Health department attended the meeting.
“Unlike State boards, the 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 into account the safety and the well-being of the students, the crucial decisions have been taken,” the MoE official said.
Besides political parties, over two lakh students had signed an online petition demanding cancellation of board exams and the hashtag “cancelboardexams” has also been trending on Twitter for a week. The board exams are usually conducted in February-March. However, the board had decided to conduct them in May-June this year due to the pandemic situation.
States including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab have already announced changes in plans for board exams. Schools across the country were closed in March last year to contain the spread of Covid-19 ahead of a nationwide lockdown. Several states started reopening the schools partially from October last year, but physical classes are again being suspended because of the rise in coronavirus cases.
Chief Ministers of a few States, including Punjab and Delhi and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, had urged the PM and Education Minister to intervene and direct the CBSE to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the board exams in May.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Education and CBSE held a meeting amid the rising demand for cancellation on board exams.
