In view of the coronavirus outbreak, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday postponed the ongoing Class 10 and 12 Examinations till March 31.
Media reports quoted CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi as saying: “All ongoing CBSE examinations in India and abroad postponed till March 31 and will be rescheduled thereafter… after an assessment of the situation.”
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Tripathi also said: “All ongoing evaluation work will be suspended during the period.”
However, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board exams have not been postponed.
Media reports quoted ICSE chief executive and secretary Gerry Arathoon as saying that the exams under the board will be held as per schedule as of now.
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The announcement of the postponement of the CBSE examinations came after a directive from the ministry of human resource development (HRD) asking the boards and all educational institutions in the country to postpone exams till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
The HRD ministry has asked for the postponement of all examinations, including the IIT JEE.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Open Studies (NIOS) has also postponed all examination activities.
As per reports, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which has been scheduled to be held next month, has been postponed as it would clash with the rescheduled boards.
Reports quoted the HRD ministry as saying: “JEE mains examination should be rescheduled and new date will be announced on March 31 after re-assessment of the situation since the examination may require travel by examinees to different towns and the dates may clash with the rescheduled CBSE and other board exams.”
Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on his Twitter handle said the CBSE and NIOS have been directed by him to postpone their exams keeping in view the health concerns of students.
“Keeping in view the health concerns of Students, I directed CBSE and NIOS to postpone exams and evaluation till 31st March 2020. I request all Students to follow the health advisory issued by @MoHFW_INDIA,” tweeted Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
HRD secretary Amit Khare in an official statement said: “While maintenance of academic calendar and exam schedule is important, equally important is safety and security of students who are appearing in various examinations as also of their teachers and parents.”
He also said: “All the ongoing examinations, including CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) board exams, be postponed till March 31 and rescheduled thereafter.”