The Centre on Wednesday cancelled the CBSE Class X Board exams scheduled between May 4 and June 14, 2021, and indefinitely postponed the Class XII Board exams which were also scheduled for the same duration. The decision has been taken in view of the second wave of coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the nation.
The Union education ministry said the revised dates for Class XII exams will be reviewed after June 1, 2021, and students will be given a notice of at least 15 days before the start of the examinations.
"The results of Class X exams will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board. Any candidate who is not satisfied with the marks allocated to him/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," said a press release from the Ministry of Education.
The announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary, School and Higher Education secretaries and other top officials.
"The Prime Minister reiterated that the wellbeing 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 the statement issued after the meeting.
Schools have been shut in at least 11 states so far due to the resurgence of the pandemic, making it hard for students to appear for the exams, which the CBSE conducts simultaneously all over the country.
Many chief ministers, including Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, had requested PM Modi to postpone the Class X and Class XII exams. On Wednesday, India recorded the highest single-day jump of 1,84,372 new Covid cases. The country's total infection tally shot past 13.87 million, according to the latest figures released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare. The daily toll from the disease has gone up to 1,027, making it the first time in more than five months that the fatalities have crossed the 1,000-mark.