– Mita Mukherjee
Schools across India were shuttered in mid-March to prevent spread of Coronavirus and students were taught through online classes the entire year. Schools were unable to complete the syllabus in the absence of on-campus classes and the worst affected are the students of Class 10 and 12 who will write their board exams in 2021.
Some states had partially reopened the schools following the guidelines of the Centre to enable Class 10 and 12 students to clear their doubts and complete their practical and project works but educational institutions in many states could not be reopened because of the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
The class 10 and 12 examinations of most education boards operating in the country are usually held between February and April and most boards announce the tentative dates of commencement of the examinations by this time every year.
In the midst of the pandemic the education boards have reduced 30 to 35 percent of the syllabus for class 10 and 12 to offer some relief to students.
But they are yet to finalise the board exam dates and students are anxiously waiting to know the exact date of their examinations.
The education boards that affiliate schools in the country are the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Cambridge University, International Baccalaureate (IB) and the state education boards.
Most boards have said that the class 10 and 12 examinations will be held offline.
Some of the boards have announced the tentative dates and released the time tables. Many of them are yet to take a decision on when to conduct the examinations. The current status for class 10 and 12 board exams across different states in India is as follows:
How and when should class 10 and 12 board exams 2021 be held?