Std XII exam: High-level meet of top ministers today

Nagpur: A high-level virtual meeting will be held on Sunday between Union government and state regarding Std XII and other professional course exams. Union cabinet ministers will interact with education ministers of all states and Union Territories to chalk out future roadmap regarding the pending exams.
So far, Std XII board exams have simply been categorized as “postponed” by all major boards.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh will chair the virtual meet, along with minister for education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, minister for women and child development Smriti Irani and minister for information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.
From Maharashtra, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad will be joining the meeting. In Maharashtra, HSC exams have been postponed, while SSC has been cancelled.
Pokhriyal had earlier written to states/UTs, that “Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education and CBSE are exploring options regarding the conduct of examinations, keeping in mind the safety and security of the students and the teachers”. An official note from the Union government said the department of higher education is also deliberating upon the finalization of dates of examinations for institutions of higher learning.
The letter has noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected various areas including the education sector, particularly board and entrance exams. In view of the prevailing situation, almost all the state education boards, CBSE and ICSE have postponed their Std XII examinations.
Similarly, National Testing Agency (NTA) and other national exam conducting institutions have also postponed entrance exams for admissions to professional courses.
The official press release mentioned that “as the conduct of Std XII examinations impacts state board exams and other entrance exams across the country, and to reduce uncertainty among students, it is desirable that a considered decision based on inputs of different state governments and UT administrations is taken about Std XII CBSE examinations in the interest of all students”.