CBSE postpones March 2 exam in many West Asian countries amid US-Iran conflict

The communication has been sent to principals of CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Published on: Mar 1, 2026, 15:55:25 IST

By Sanjay Maurya, NEW DELHI

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday announced the postponement of Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations scheduled for March 2 in several West Asian countries after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Gulf states.

CBSE will review the situation on Tuesday (FILE/Representative Image)

In a circular, CBSE said the examinations slated for March 2, “for both Class X and Class XII, are postponed” and the new dates “shall be announced later.”

The communication has been sent to principals of more than 150 CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“The Board will review the situation on Tuesday, 03 March 2026 and take appropriate decisions with regard to examinations scheduled from 05 March onwards,” the communication said.

“All students are advised to stay in touch with their schools for updates and follow official announcements carefully,” the circular issued by CBSE controller of examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj said.

West Asia constitutes the largest overseas cluster of CBSE schools, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh among key examination hubs.

The class 10 and 12 board examinations began on February 18. Over 4.37 million students including 2.51 million class 10 students and 1.86 million class 12 students are appearing for the examinations in India and abroad.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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