New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has canceled tenth grade public exams and deferred those for the twelfth grade.
This was in response to demands from parents, students, politicians and various states for a government rethink in view of a nationwide Covid surge.
The decision affecting 3.5 million students followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting on April 14 with the federal Education Minister and top officers.
The CBSE exams for grade 12, which were to be held from May 4 to June 14, have been postponed, said Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in tweets. A decision will be taken on fresh dates on June 1, he said, adding that students will have at least 15 days’ notice before the exams.
On the grade 10 exams that were cancelled, the minister said the results would be prepared “on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board” and students not satisfied with their marks would be given the chance to take the exams whenever they can be held.
For schools under the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) board, a decision is yet to be announced.
Around 2.15 million students were to take the tenth grade exams and some 1.4 million are registered for grade 12, according to the CBSE.
PM Modi reportedly said in the meeting that while academics are important, “the health and well-being of students has to be the top priority for the government.”
Covid cases have been spiraling across the country in the deadly second wave of infections. This morning, India recorded 184,372 new coronavirus infections in the highest single-day rise so far, with 1,027 deaths.
“Glad the government has finally cancelled the 10th standard exams however a final decision MUST be taken for the 12th grade too. Keeping students under undue pressure until June makes no sense. It’s unfair. I urge the government to decide now,” tweeted Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, using the hashtag #cancelboardexam2021. Vadra was among those who had objected strongly to students being “forced to sit for exams” at crowded centers amid rising infections.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh had also urged the federal government to cancel the exams and to prevent millions of students being exposed to infection.
Parents’ groups had written to PM Modi requesting that students be assessed internally instead of them having to sit for exams physically. The India Wide Parents Association had pointed out in a letter that teachers and students had not been vaccinated yet and there was a higher chance of infection among them.
Recently, over 100,000 students had signed petitions urging the government to either cancel board exams or conduct them online.
Source: ndtv.com