Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Central Board of School Education on Wednesday canceled the Class 10 examinations and postponed the Class 12 examinations scheduled to begin on May 4.
The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and senior ministry officials as a number of chief ministers and political parties had asked the Centre to reconsider conducting Board exams in the middle of the pandemic.
The Education Minister said the results of the Class 10 Board exams will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board.
For Class 12 exams, the CBSE will review the pandemic situation on June 1 and take a decision accordingly.
“A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of examinations,” Nishank said.
State governments of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have already announced the re-scheduling of examinations given the Covid-19 situation.
Chief Ministers Amarinder Singh, Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had asked the Centre to reconsider holding board exams.
“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 is taken care of at the same time their academic interests are not harmed,” said an official statement issued after the review meeting by the Prime Minister.
It noted that the pandemic situation in the country was seeing a resurgence of Covid-19 positive cases in many states. 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,” said the Ministry. However, no guidelines were given for State board exams throughout the country, as had been demanded by some States.