The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has decided to cancel the Class 10 board examinations due to the surge in coronavirus infections and strict restrictions imposed by several states.
Earlier, the board had said that Class 10 students would be given the choice to write the exam on the day Class 12 boards are held, or not write the exams altogether. The ICSE Class 12 exam has also been postponed for now. The decision will be reviewed in June.
The CISCE issued a circular and wrote, "Given the present worsening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the CISCE has decided to cancel the ICSE (Class 10) 2021 examinations. The options are given in the earlier circular dated April 16 now stand withdrawn. The safety and well-being of our students and teaching faculty is our topmost priority and of paramount interest".
The circular also advised all CISCE affiliated schools to begin the admission process for Class 11, and start online classes for the new batch of Class 12 students. The syllabus to be followed is the ISC 2023 syllabus, it added.
The CISCE Class 10 and 12 exams were to be held from May 4.
Earlier this week, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had cancelled its class 10 board exams and deferred the class 12 board exams. Several state boards have postponed or cancelled their exams too.