MHA gives exemptions from lockdown to conduct board exams of classes 10, 12

NEW DELHI: Taking into consideration the academic interest of a large number of students, the home ministry has allowed Board examinations for Class X and Class XII to be conducted during the lockdown period, albeit subject to safety measures like wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.
“It has been decided to grant exemption from the lockdown measures to conduct Board examinations for Classes 10th and 12th,” home minister Amit Shah tweeted on Wednesday.

The relaxation follows requests to this effect by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the state governments. As opening of schools has been prohibited under the Lockdown 4.0 guidelines, the annual board examinations being conducted by State Education Boards/ CBSE/ ICSE etc. for classes 10th and 12th had been suspended.
Considering this, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday wrote to all states/UTs detailing the conditions to be followed for conducting the examinations. These include bar on setting up any examination centre in containment zones. Wearing of face masks by teachers. staff and students would be mandatory. There would have to be a provision of thermal screening and sanitiser at the examination centres and social distancing must be maintained.
In view of different boards conducting these examinations, their examination schedules would have to be staggered.
Special buses may be arranged by the states and UTs for transportation of the students to the examination centres.
CBSE had on Monday announced that the rescheduled Class XII Board examinations that had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown and Class X exams by the riots in northeast Delhi would be held from July 1 to 15.
Other states like Kerala which had earlier decided to conduct SSLC exams from May 26 too postponed them to the period June 25 to July 4.