Mita Mukherjee

The 2021 CBSE Class 12 board examinations have been cancelled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

The 2021 ISC (Class 12) examinations of 2021 will also not take place, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) said after the cancellation of the Class 12 board examinations of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) was announced.

In a tweet the Prime Minister wrote: “Government of India has decided to cancel the Class 12 Exams. After extensive consultations, we have taken a decision that is student-friendly, one that safeguards the health as well as future of our youth.”

Later, the Central Board of Secondary  Education said in a notification issued on Tuesday night : “ The Board Examinations for Class –12 which were postponed vide Notification No. CBSE/Exam.2021 dated 14.04.2021 are hereby cancelled.”

“The Class 12 results will be made as per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner. It is decided that any student who is not satisfied with the assessment, an option to appear in the examinations would be provided by the CBSE as and when the situation is conducive,” the CBSE said.

The Prime Minister also said that the decision on Class 12 CBSE exams has been taken in the interest of students. He stated that “health and safety of our students is of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect.”

Coronavirus has affected the academic calendar and the issue of board exams has been causing immense anxiety among students, parents and teachers, which must be put to an end, he said.

“Students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation,” he said.

He said all stakeholders need to show “sensitivity for students.”

The decision came after a high level meeting on the conduct of the Class 12 board examinations this evening.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by the Union Ministers of Home, Defence, Finance, Commerce, Information, Petroleum and Women and Child Development and principal secretary to the Prime Minister and secretaries of school education and higher education departments and other officials.

According to a statement issued by the government the Prime Minister said that the “Covid  situation  is a dynamic situation across the country. While the numbers are coming down in the country and some states are managing the situation through effective micro-containment, some states have still opted for a lockdown. Students, parents and teachers are naturally worried about the health of the students in such a situation. PM said that students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation.”

According to the government statement, the Prime Minister stressed that the health and safety of students is of utmost importance and there would be no compromise  on this aspect. He said that “in today’s time, such exams cannot be the reason to put our youth at risk.”

Referring to the wide consultative process, the Prime Minister 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.

The Prime Minister had earlier held a high-level meeting on May 21 which was attended by several ministers and officials. On May 23 another meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Union Defence Minister  which was attended by the education ministers of the states.  Various options for conduct of the CBSE examinations were discussed in the meeting and the feedback obtained from the states and union territories.   

Gerry Arathoon, chief executive and the secretary of CISCE said that like the CBSE the council is a national board and has ISC schools across the country and so the ISC 2021 has been cancelled.

The results of students will be prepared on the basis of the scores obtained by them in the internal examinations held by the schools in Classes 10 and 12.  

 “In view of the present situation of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the country, the CISCE has decided to Cancel the (ISC Class 12) Year 2021 Examinations. The safety, health and wellbeing of our students, teaching faculty and all our stakeholders is our topmost priority and paramount interest,” the CISCE said in a press release.

The results of students will be processed through a mechanism which will also include the internal examinations conducted by the schools, the press release said.

The CISCE will also give an option to students to appear in examinations if they are not satisfied with the marks awarded to them.  

Also read:

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Karnataka: SSLC exams postponed as state battles Covid-19  

West Bengal class XII board exams in July end, class X in mid August: CM