CBSE order leaves private students in a fix

CHENNAI:  Candidadates who had privately registered for CBSE Class XII exams urged the board to reconsider the exam dates and the evaluation strategy applicable to them. This year, around 22,000 students have registered under the private category.

It may be recalled that the CBSE cancelled Class X and XII board exams owing to the pandemic. But, private students – those who are either repeating the class or improving their marks – had been instructed to appear for the exams. The board had said that the exams for such candidates will be held from August 15 to September 15.

Private candidates, however, charged that this would put them at a disadvantage against regular candidates, who expect Class XIIII exam results by July 31. “I failed in only one examination by just three marks last year. Why do I not deserve the grace marks regular students will be given this year,” asked a Class XII repeater in Chennai.

Another candidate said that she took a gap year to write an improvement exam. “Since Tamil Nadu engineering counselling will be based on board exam marks, I wanted to score well. But, the counselling is expected to start in August when I will not even have started writing my exams,” she said.

Sanyam Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, CBSE , earlier told reporters that the exams would be conducted in a synchronised manner and that students would not miss out on university admission process.