Maharashtra Class 10 Board exams cancelled over COVID surge: Education Minister

Maharashtra SSC Exams 2021 for Class 10 students has been cancelled amid the rise in coronavirus cases in the state and nation. Announcing the decision via a tweet, state Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that health and safety of teachers and students is of utmost priority.

"Given the worsening situation of the #Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra government has now decided to CANCEL the state board exams for class 10th. The health and safety of our students and teachers is our topmost priority," Gaikwad tweeted.

A total of 18 lakh examinees were expected to take the SSC Claas 10 exams, whereas 16 lakh examines were supposed to sit for the HSC Clas 12 exams in Maharashtra this year.

The decision comes as a relief to lakhs of students and their parents as Maharashtra continues to be ravaged by the second COVID-19 wave. The state accounts for the highest caseload in the country. The state recorded 58,924 fresh coronavirus cases and 351 deaths within 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry data released on Tuesday morning. The state has been recording more than 50,000 fresh cases daily for the past several days.

Maharashtra government has already put several restrictions in place in order to curb the virus. Last week, CM Uddhav Thackeray declared night curfew and weekend lockdown in the state in view of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases.

Before Maharashtra, CBSE had cancelled the Class 10 board exams and postponed board exams for Class 12 students. CICSE has also decided to cancel its Class 10 exams after earlier announcing its deferment. Telangana board has also cancelled its Class 10 board exams. Meanwhile, state education boards in Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have deferred their Class 10 board exams.

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