Odisha postpones board exams due to Covid19 surge final call to be taken in June

The Odisha government has also asked schools to stop classes for class 10 and 12 from April 20 onwards in view of the rising Covid-19 cases. On Thursday, Odisha reported nearly 3,000 new Covid-19 cases and 3 deaths.

Published on: Apr 15, 2021, 19:10:24 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A day after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced cancellation of class 10 exams and postponement of class 12 exams, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced the postponement of examinations of classes 10 and 12 in state schools that were due to be held by respective boards, adding that a final decision on the matter would be taken in the first week of June.

The class 10 exams conducted by the Board of Secondary Education of Odisha were supposed to begin from May 3 and end on May 15. (Image used for representation). (PTI PHOTO.)

“The Council of Higher Secondary Examinations and Board of Secondary Examinations will review the situation in the first week of June regarding the board exams. Adequate time will be given to the students for the examinations,” a release from the Chief Minister’s office said.

The class 10 exams conducted by the Board of Secondary Education of Odisha were supposed to begin from May 3 and end on May 15. Similarly, the class 12 exams conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education were due to begin from May 18 and end on June 12. Nearly 6.5 lakh students will appear for the Class 10 examinations if they are held.

School and mass education department officials said with a TPR rate of 8.64%, it would have been difficult to conduct the examinations early next month. “Our effort would be to conduct the examinations provided the situation permits. Without conducting an examination, it would not be possible to assess the students. But in case examinations cannot happen, we have to think of an alternative mechanism such as assessing the students on the basis of their pre-board exams. But right now the situation is too fluid to take a decision on anything,” said Ramashish Hazra, president of the Board of Secondary Education.

The Odisha government has also asked schools to stop classes for class 10 and 12 from April 20 onwards in view of the rising Covid-19 cases. On Thursday, Odisha reported nearly 3,000 new Covid-19 cases and 3 deaths.

The state government also said students of Class 9 and Class 11 in the academic session 2020-21 will be promoted to Class 10 and Class 12 respectively without appearing for any examination.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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