Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in a tweet on Wednesday said that CBSE exams for class 12th have been postponed and the board exam for class 10 has been cancelled for the year 2021.
The decision came after a meeting which was presided over Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and included Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and other top officials
amid a demand from students, teachers, and parents to cancel the board exams.
Many political leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal have voiced their opinion in favour of the cancellation of board exams amid rising Covid-19 cases in the country.
The chorus for cancellation of upcoming board exams for class 10 and 12 grew louder on Tuesday in wake of the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases even as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said it has not taken any decision yet in this regard.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia appealed to the Centre to cancel the exams saying the examination centres can become super spreaders and alternative methods for assessment need to be explored.
CBSE officials denied any change in plan "yet" and reiterated that the arrangements are being made to ensure social distancing by increasing examination centres by over 50 per cent. The exams are scheduled to begin from May 4.