CBSE board exams will not be conducted till February next year, says Union Education Minister

The centre will make an assessment of the Covid-19 situation in February and decide on the dates for the CBSE exams

CBSE examinations for Class 10 and 12 will be held after February next year, Education Minister Ramesh Pohkriyal Nishank said on Tuesday.

“Practical examinations for the board exams begin in January and the written tests take place in February and March. But, based on the present conditions, holding the examination in January or February is not possible. That has been decided. We will hold consultations after this and take a decision,” the minister said responding to questions from teachers.

In a virtual interaction with teachers from across the country, Nishank also made it clear that there would be no further reduction of the syllabus for the examinations as a 30% cut had already been effected.

“The exact dates will be announced soon,” the minister said adding that the government would always stand like a rock behind the students. He noted that the practical examinations for Class 10 and 12 are conducted by the respective schools and colleges.

The minister said conducting online examinations continued to be a challenge due to insufficient access to computers and laptops to a large section of students. He disagreed with a suggestion to do away with the examination altogether as it could raise doubts over the competence of a large group of students.

“We cannot allow Covid-19 to impact students and have them labelled as Covid-era students who passed without clearing any exams,” the minister said.

Nishank said the government was in the process of consulting students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders on the conduct of board examinations. Schools across the country were closed in March to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Schools partially reopened in some states from October 15, but few states have decided to keep them closed in view of a spike in the number of infections.