Ending the continued anxiety among students and parents, the Centre on Tuesday decided that the Class XII board examinations of CBSE would not be held this year in view of the “uncertain conditions due to Covid-19 and the feedback obtained from various stakeholders”.
The decision to cancel the examinations was taken at an important review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“It was decided that Class XII board exams would not be held this year. It was also decided that CBSE will take steps to compile the results of class XII students as per a well-defined objective criterion in a time-bound manner,” a statement from the Education Ministry read.
However, it was also decided that like last year, in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them by CBSE, as and when the situation becomes conducive.
According to the statement, CBSE officials gave a detailed presentation on the wide and extensive consultation held so far and views received from all stakeholders, including state governments
The meeting was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and secretaries of School Education & Higher Education Departments and other officials.
Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said that the decision on Class 12 CBSE examinations has been taken in the interest of students. He stated that Covid-19 has affected the academic calendar and the issue of the board examinations has been causing immense anxiety among students, parents and teachers, which must be put to an end.
“Students, parents and teachers are naturally worried about the health of the students in such a situation. Students should not be forced to appear for the examinations in such a stressful situation,” PM Modi said.
He stressed that the health and safety of students “are of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect”, and added that in today’s time, such examinations cannot be the reason to put the youth at risk. The Prime Minister said that all stakeholders need to show sensitivity for students, and directed officials to ensure that the results are prepared in accordance with well-defined criteria, in a fair and time-bound manner.
Referring to the wide consultative process, PM Modi expressed appreciation that a student-friendly decision has been reached after consulting all stakeholders from across the length and breadth of India. He also thanked the states for providing feedback on this issue.
Earlier, on 21 May, the PM also held a high-level meeting on the same, which was followed by another meeting held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh two days later, wherein various options for conduct of CBSE examinations were discussed in the meeting and feedback obtained from the states and UTs. Several state governments like Delhi hailed the Centre’s decision to scrap the examinations, saying that it ends a big concern about health risks for children.
Vinay Agarwal, a student, said; “Many students like me were expecting a decision like this only. The decision to hold examinations could have proved detrimental to the health of students and teachers.” WITH AGENCY INPUTS