CBSE to conduct Board exams after lockdown ends, states suggest internal assessment

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct the pending Class 10 and 12 board examination for 2020 after the COVID-19 lockdown ends in India, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said. CThe exams will be held 10 days after the coronavirus lockdown is lifted, he said.

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Monday interacted with parents and students across the country through a webinar in view of circumstances arising out of COVID-19. Responding to the question of conducting the remaining exams of CBSE 12th, the Union Minister said that examination in 29 core subjects will be conducted at the first possible opportunity.

READ | PM Modi Lauds Delhi Police For Paying 'siren Tribute' To Gurdwara Bangla Sahib

Pokhriyal also asked all the state boards to start the evaluation procedure for the class 10 and class 12 board exams. In a meeting with state education ministers, Pokhriyal also directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to facilitate checking of answer scripts by teachers in their respective states. The evaluation process for most of the board exams has been put on a hold due to the lockdown.

The minister informed that the pending board exams will be held only for the major subjects which will be considered for admissions and for the rest of the subjects, candidates can be promoted based on internal assessments.

READ | Palghar: 35 Police Officials In Connection With Mob Lynching Incident Transferred

State suggests internal assessment 

During the discussion, Delhi’s Education Minister Manish Sisodia had suggested promoting students to the next class based on the internal marks. It is not feasible now to conduct class 10 and 12 board exams which are pending due to the lockdown imposed to curb the COVID-19 spread, Sisodia added. 

"Due to the need for social distancing, it will not be feasible to conduct remaining exams for class 10 and 12 students even in May-June. Having an exam thereafter will delay the next academic cycle heavily. Other states have their own state boards but Delhi has CBSE as its board. Most students of CBSE come from Delhi," Sisodia said.

"I appealed to the HRD minister that CBSE is asked to take a similar route for promoting students as it proposed for class 9 and 11. In these uncertain times, I don't know if we would be able to conduct examinations again, so on the basis of the same formula like internal assessments and papers already conducted, students of class 10 and 12 too should be evaluated. This will help us not waste our students'' time and not push their academic cycles further and get their studies hampered," he added.

READ | Devendra Fadnavis Raises Arnab's 12 Hr Questioning With Maha Governor, Alleges 'emergency'

Meanwhile, Pokhriyal had asked the states to use the Samagra Siksha balance of the previous year which is around Rs 6,200 crore, and an ad-hoc grant of Rs 4,450 crore is also being issued for the first quarter.  The minister also asked states to immediately transfer the amount released under Samagra Shiksha to the State Implementation Committee so that it can be utilised properly to ensure that the next installment can be released.

READ | Mumbai Reports 393 New COVID-19 Cases; Tally Zooms To 5,982