Covid-19: Delhi govt asks schools to postpone CBSE practicals till April 20

All colleges and coaching centres in the city will also be shut, due to the pandemic, Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia said. His comments came a day after the Delhi government ordered suspension of all in-person academic activities in city schools, leaving board students confused about their practical exams.

Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday said that the state government has advised schools to postpone their ongoing CBSE class 10 and 12 practical exams till at least April 20, in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital. All colleges and coaching centres in the city will also be shut, due to the pandemic, Sisodia said.

Sisodia also clarified that colleges and coaching centres will remain closed in Delhi till further orders. (Amal KS/HT Photo)

Sisodia’s comments came a day after the Delhi government ordered suspension of all in-person academic activities in city schools, leaving board students confused about their practical exams.

Addressing students through a post on social media platform Instagram, Sisodia on Saturday said, “We have advised schools to consult with their external examiners and postpone the remaining CBSE class 10 and 12 practical exams for a while. Only one or two practical exams are left in a majority of schools and we have advised them to reschedule these to after April 20,” Sisodia said.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) class 10 and 12 practical exams had begun in the first week of March. The board had directed all its affiliated schools to complete the practical exams by June 11 in accordance with existing Covid-19 protocols. The theory papers for students in these classes are scheduled to begin on May 4.

Delhi on Saturday added 7,897 fresh cases, with the state government terming it the fourth wave of the virus in the city. The positivity rate of the city shot up to 10.21% on Saturday, at the back of 77,374 tests. On Tuesday, the government had ordered night curfew from 10pm to 5am until April 30, to try and contain the surge of the virus.

When asked about the feasibility of conducting CBSE class 10 and 12 theory exams in the middle of a raging pandemic, Sisodia said, “This decision will be taken by the CBSE in accordance with the situation at that time. The board will have to decide how to conduct exams safely amid the pandemic.”

Officials at the CBSE, however, said that the board is not considering changing the exam schedule for now. “Exams will be conducted as per the schedule following all Covid-19 appropriate guidelines issued by the Government of India. The board has also increased the number of centres this year to ensure social distancing during the exams,” said an official.

HT had on Friday reported that the CBSE has added 2,500 more examination centres in India and abroad this year, 50% more than last year.

Sisodia also clarified that colleges and coaching centres will remain closed in Delhi till further orders. “The government has decided to close all educational institutions for a while to avoid the risk of the spread of the infection. Therefore, the order is also applicable to colleges and coaching institutions.”

Higher educational institutions in Delhi, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Ambedkar University, have already suspended all offline activities till further orders in the light of a sharp spike in the Covid-19 cases in the city.

Responding to the queries of students on the pending exams of class 9 and 11 students of Delhi government schools, the education minister said that new dates will be announced for these exams. “Only two exams are left of government school students of classes 9 and 11 and we will reschedule these once the situation gets better. The exams have been postponed for now keeping students’ safety in mind,” he said.

Sisodia said that the government has authorised schools to take a decision on calling teachers physically to the campus. “The school administrations should consult with their teachers and decide if they want their teachers to take online classes from their respective schools or from their homes and how many teachers should be called to the school at a time,” he said.