No final decision has been taken yet on CBSE Class 12 board examinations, Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal said on May 23, following a high-level meeting to explore the possibility of conducting exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We will be able to arrive at an informed, collaborative decision regarding Class 12th board exams and remove uncertainty among students and parents by informing them of our decision at the earliest. Both students' and teachers' safety is supremely important to us," Pokhriyal said.
"The meeting with other states on Class 12th board exams was fruitful as we received immensely valuable suggestions. I have requested the state governments to send me their detailed suggestions by May 25," the Minister added.
The high-level meeting, held earlier in the day, was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani as well as Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar were among those present, apart from Pokhriyal.
A day ahead of the meeting, the education minister had sought inputs from all the stakeholders including students, parents, teachers and others through social media.
In view of the prevailing situation, almost all state education boards, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Council of Secondary Education (ICSE) have postponed their Class 12 examinations. Similarly, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and other national exam conducting institutions have also postponed entrance exams for admissions to professional courses.
The CBSE had on April 14 announced the cancellation of Class 10 exams and postponed Class 12 exams due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The board exams, which are usually conducted in February-March every year, were scheduled to be held from May 4. The CBSE had announced that a decision on the Class 12 board exams will be taken on or after June 1. A section of students and parents have been demanding that the Class 12 exams be cancelled in the wake of the pandemic situation.
The CBSE had earlier this month announced the marking policy for Class 10 board exams. According to the policy, while 20 marks for each subject will be for internal assessment as every year, 80 marks will be calculated based on the students' performance in various tests or exams throughout the year.
Schools across the country were closed since March 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19 ahead of a nationwide lockdown. Several states started reopening the schools partially from October last year, but physical classes were again suspended because of the rise in coronavirus cases.
Last year, the board exams had to be postponed mid-way in March. They were later cancelled, and results were announced based on an alternative assessment scheme.
(With inputs from PTI)