CBSE Cancels Class 10 Board Exams, Class 12 Exams Postponed

On December 31, 2020, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhiryal Nishank had made a major announcement - the dates for the CBSE board exams. After months of uncertainty, this is a new development for which thousands of students have been waiting.

Fast forward to April 14, 2021. Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, class 10 board exams have been cancelled while class 12 exams have been postponed. This huge announcement followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Pokhriyal and other top officers. In the meeting, PM Modi had said, "The well-being of students has to be the top priority for the government".

PM Modi added that the Centre was trying its best to keep the best interests of the students in mind and, at the same time, ensure that the health of students and their academics is not affected in any way.

Education Minister tweets on class 10 and 12 board exams

The decision to postpone the CBSE exams for class 12, which were to be held from May 4 to June 14, was announced by Education Minister Pokhriyal Nishank in a series of tweets. A decision will be taken on fresh dates on June 1, he said and added that students will be given at least15 days' notice before the exams.

On the cancellation of the class 10 board exams, Pokhiryal tweeted

For schools coming under other boards such as the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), a decision regarding the annual exams is yet to be announced.

The stance of states on exams

• Many states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan also announced the postponement of their state board exams soon after the CBSE's announcement.
• States like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are monitoring the situation as of now.
• Karnataka, Meghalaya, and Andhra Pradesh state boards to hold the class 10 and class 12 board exams as per schedule.

This decision comes as a huge relief to the students and parents who have been demanding postponement of exams for some time now in view of the rising cases of COVID-19 cases in the country. Recently, over a lakh students had signed petitions urging the government to either cancel the board exams or conduct them online.

Earlier, different parent groups had written to PM Modi requesting that the students be assessed internally instead of having to sit physically for the exams as it would expose them to the dangers of the coronavirus. The India Wide Parents Association had also reached out to the prime minister saying teachers and students had not been vaccinated yet and there was a higher chance of infection among them.

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Written by Ashwin Dewan on April 15, 2021.

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