CBSE postpones board exams till March 31, JEE Mains also deferred

The Union ministry of human resources development, ina directive on Wednesday, said all class 10 and 12 board examinations have been postponed till March 31 in view

The Union ministry of human resources development, ina directive on Wednesday, said all class 10 and 12 board examinations have been postponed till March 31 in view of the coronavirus epidemic.

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The Joint Entrance Examination Mains, which were scheduled to be conducted from April 5, have also been postponed.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday night announced that it was postponing all class 10 and 12 board exams which were scheduled to be conducted between March 19-31. This includes the re-examination which were to be conducted for students from orth-east Delhi, where exams were postponed during the communal riots last month.

“All ongoing examinations of the board for class 10 and 12 being held in examination centres in India and abroad and scheduled between March 19 to March 31 (both dates inclusive) shall be rescheduled after March 31,” CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi said in a statement. “Rescheduled dates will be communicated by the board to all its stakeholders by March 31 after reassessment of the situation.”

On Tuesday, HT had reported the various precautionary measures were being taken by the official at the examination centres.

The board exam evaluation has also been suspended till end of March. “All ongoing board exams related evaluation work in various evaluation centres in the country is also suspended upto March 31. All Centre Nodal Supervisors (CNS) may ensure rescheduling of evaluation work from April 1, unless otherwise informed by the board,” Tripathi added.

CBSE has also issued a detailed list of instructions to all CNS on ensuring safety of answer booklets and asking them to seal it under supervision.

The directives came after Union human resources ministry, in a set of instructions, asked all agencies to postpone ongoing examination till March 31, as part of precautionary measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

“While maintenance of academic calendar and examination schedule is important, equally important is the safety and security of students who are appearing in various exams as also that of their teachers and parents,” MHRD secretary Amit Khare said.

CISCE chief executive and secretary, Gerry Arathoon, however, said that they had not received any communication on postponing exams. “We have not received anything from the Centre. All major papers have already been conducted and few papers are left. We will be completing it.”

In addition to announcing postponement of board exams, the ministry also called for rescheduling JEE examination which were slated to begin from April 5.

“Since JEE mains may require travel by examinees to different towns and the dates may clash with rescheduled CBSE and other board exams, therefore JEE Mains should be rescheduled and the new date will be announced on March 31 after reassessment of situation,” Khare said.

National Testing Agency, which conducts JEE, confirmed that the examination would be rescheduled. Director Vineet Joshi said the new dates would come out after consultation with stakeholders and taking stock of the situation.

The ministry has also asked educational institutions and examination boards to maintain regular communication with teachers and students through electronic means to ensure their is no anxiety and panic.

The ministry has also called for rescheduling other ongoing examination including university and NIOS. They have also asked institutions to notify helpline numbers and emails which can be used by students to address their queries.