ICSE, ISC exams deferred; Cambridge cancels exams

MUMBAI: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has deferred its ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) exams which were earlier scheduled to take place from the first week of May due to growing Covid-19 cases across the country.

In its official release, the board stated that it will wait until the first week of June to take a review of the situation and decide on the conduct of exams. “ICSE students, however, can currently choose between two options- to write the exams along with the ISC candidates or to not write the exam. In case they choose the latter, the board will develop a fair and unbiased criterion while preparing the results of such candidates,” said Gerry Arathoon, chief executive and secretary of the board in the release.

Parents welcomed the decision and said it will help students who have already decided their future options escape the uncertainty of exams. “Many students wish to take admission in small science colleges run by coaching classes where they are already studying. There are also quite a few who wish to continue in their respective schools. For such students, internal assessments

will be the best possible solution. Students who wish to take the exams can still do so,” said a parent from Andheri.

Over 23,000 students from Maharashtra took the ICSE exam in 2020 while 3,150 students wrote their ISC exams last year. This year, ICSE exams were earlier scheduled between May 5 and June 7 and ISC exams were to be held between May 5 and June 16.

Meanwhile, Cambridge

International has announced late Friday evening that all its exams including IGCSE which were scheduled for next week will be cancelled. “Given the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country, we have decided to switch Cambridge International schools in India, from exams to school-assessed grades, so that students can receive certification and progress with their education,” said the board in its statement.