Odisha cancels Class 10 boards, no decision on Class 12 exams yet

The move came a day after hundreds of students from various government-run high schools gathered before chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence demanding cancellation of the examinations on the lines of similar steps taken by CBSE and ICSE.

Published on: Apr 21, 2021, 17:32:43 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government on Wednesday cancelled the Class 10 board examinations conducted by the Board of Secondary Education amid a surge in Covid-19 cases throughout the state.

The Odisha government also announced promotion of Class IX and XI students to X and XII without examinations this year. (HT PHOTO.)

“In view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Class-X examination conducted by BSE, Odisha scheduled to be held from May 3 has been cancelled,” said school and mass education minister Samir Ranjan Dash on Wednesday.

The minister said the results of the Class-X exams will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the BSE, Odisha.

“Any candidate, who will not be satisfied with marks awarded to him/her on this basis, will be given an opportunity to sit for an examination as and when the conditions are conducive to hold the examination,” he said. Besides, all examinations conducted by the Odisha State Board of Madrasa Education scheduled to be held from May 19, 2021 also stands cancelled. Nearly 6.5 lakh students would have appeared for the Class 10 exam.

The president of the Odisha State Board of Madrasa Education will take appropriate steps for awarding alternate mode of marks to the students.

The Odisha government, however, said it is yet to decide on cancellation of the Class 12 examinations to be conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education. The state government also announced promotion of Class IX and XI students to X and XII without exams.

The move came a day after hundreds of students from various government-run high schools gathered before chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence demanding cancellation of the examination on the lines of similar steps taken by CBSE and ICSE. On Wednesday morning, several students in Baripada town of Mayurbhanj district too marched down to the district collector’s office demanding cancellation of examinations.

Earlier, the Odisha government had postponed Class 10, 12, undergraduate and post-graduate examinations in the state and shut down schools, colleges and universities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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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