Coronavirus lockdown: CBSE likely to take a call on board exams by Monday

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is likely to take a call on the remaining board examinations slated to begin from July 1 after consultations with the HRD Ministry due to the coronavirus crisis across the country. CBSE is considering options such as granting marks on the basis of average score of papers wherein the candidate has already appeared, making it optional for students to appear in the exams and evaluating on the basis of internal assessment; or rescheduling the remaining exams for September-October.

It is likely that the exams will get cancelled as there has been immense pressure from parents and state governments like Maharashtra and New Delhi on the board. A group of four parents filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to direct the CBSE to scrap the remaining papers and evaluate the students on the basis of their performance in internal assessments. The top court asked the board on Wednesday to take into account the current pandemic situation and decide by next week whether the exams could be cancelled.

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had also held a meeting with Anita Karwal, Secretary of School Education, Manoj Ahuja, CBSE Chairperson and Vineet Joshi, director general of National Testing Agency, according to a TOI report. This meeting turned out to be futile. According to a senior HRD official, no decision has been taken so far and the CBSE shall be ready with further instructions as sought by the SC by June 23.

Also read: Coronavirus lockdown: CBSE asks parents, school management to cooperate