CBSE exam cancellation leaves Karnataka state board students in confusion

The CBSE said that the decision was taken considering the wellbeing of students following the spike in Covid-19 cases

The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) announcement on Wednesday cancelling board exams for class 10 and postponing class 12 exams has caused much confusion among the students preparing for the Karnataka Secondary Education and Examination Board (KSEEB) exams.

Within minutes after the announcement by CBSE, several parents and students started calling the KSEEB and the Department of Pre-university Education (DPUE), seeking clarification about examinations for SSLC and second PUC in the state.

Read | CBSE Class 12 exams postponed; Class 10 exams cancelled amid second wave of Covid-19

Speaking to DH, Rakshith C N, a student preparing for second PUC exams, said, “We do not want to be passed or promoted without exams.”

“The cancellation of CBSE exams has created tension. Hope our exams will be held as per the schedule,” said another student.

A principal of a private unaided school affiliated to KSEEB spoke about the long-term impact of such decisions.

“The same thing happened last year also. Other boards cancelled exams, but the state board conducted exams for both Class 10 and 12. Schools under other boards awarded the marks liberally. But our children were deprived of the benefit. So, they struggled to compete with students from other boards while getting seats,” he explained.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said that government had not decided anything on cancellation of SSLC exams. “An appropriate decision will be taken in the future by analysing the situation.”

The second PUC exams are scheduled to be held between May 24 and June 16 while SSLC exams are scheduled to begin on June 21.

The CBSE in a notification said that the decision was taken considering the wellbeing of students following the spike in Covid-19 cases across the nation.

However, several stakeholders, including senior academicians and management representatives, objected the decision and requested the Union government to make a uniform decision for all the boards in the country.

Senior academician Dr V P Niranjanaradhya said, “If a particular board decides to cancel its exams and follow some objective norms to pass children, then the children of other boards have to bear the brunt of board exams. It is discriminatory and a violation of the core principle of non-discrimination. In this situation, it is advisable to cancel all board exams and promote children by following general standard criteria applicable to all,” he said.

Meanwhile, the private school managements urged the government to allow schools to conduct exams in online mode

D Shashi Kumar, general secretary of Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said, “The cancellation of CBSE exams for class 10 is an unhealthy development. The schools have provided education for the entire year in online mode and despite that, there is no provision to assess their learning levels. This is a real injustice to students and we urge respective boards to allow schools conduct a minimum assessment, at least in online mode.”

Sources in the department of primary and secondary education told DH that the matter is likely to be discussed in the all-party meeting scheduled for Friday.